Never The End
by ASolidSecond
Summary: A month has passed in the OZ, but the witch will not give up that easily and once again DG must set off on an adventure, to save her sister and find her place in the new world. C/DG Over 2000 hits and 500 visitors THANK YOU!
1. The End is Never Quite That Simple

**A/N: Welcome to my first "Tin Man" fic, I do not own anything. - As of 9/20 slight revisions to chps 1 - 6, just a little grammar and a few extra sentences here a there!  
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"This is completely ridiculous." DG complained from her space in the carriage as she leaned her hand against her palm and let her scornful glance sweep out the window.

Her sister gave a sigh, "You've said that already Dee." Azkadellia no longer glanced at her sister as these angst ridden outbursts were becoming increasingly more common as the trip had progressed over the last few days. DG couldn't help but notice that the trip seemed to be taking its toll of Az as well. Her sister's usually beautiful face now showed signs of exhaustion in the dark circles visible beneath her eyes.

"Listen to Az, DG," said Glitch from across the carriage. "If you keep complaining you'll turn into … what did you call them last week? Emus?"

"Emo's, Glitch, and don't worry," DG laughed to herself, "I don't have the right haircut for it."

Az and Glitch looked at each other, confused as they usually were when DG referenced the world they both considered to be more of a fairy tale than a reality.

"And anyways, little sister, this is a simple procession. Merely a formal return to Fanaqua, so don't start getting all huffy."

DG gave a sigh, crossed her arms tight against her chest and continued to gaze sullenly out the carriage window. _I know I should be excited, it just doesn't feel right yet. I'm used to motorcycles, hamburgers, jeans and hell, even paved roads. This place is carriages, food I can't recognize, and clothes out of some little kid's dress up box. _DG continued to stay within her own head as they passed colored banners and guards in gleaming armor and for a moment she swore she heard a trumpet as the carriage came to stop. Glitch stood, opened the door and tossed her his half crooked smile, which warmed her heart with the thought that he was still the Glitch that she had met not too long ago, though now he had gathered all his marbles.

Now it was Az's turn to look despondent, DG reached over and took her big sisters hand. "It's okay sis. Just remember, it's just a simple procession." At that Az stuck her tongue out at DG, to which DG responded to with crossed eyes and blowing an audible raspberry. Az gathered her strength, rolled her shoulders back, raised her chin high and excited the carriage. When she reached the ground she glanced back at DG, eyes wide as if to say, _Now your turn._

_Just remember, lift up the skirt, check. Small steps, one foot in front of the other, you can do it Deeg. _The Queen and Az had been elated to get DG into, what they considered proper clothes. This had turned out to be simple cream colored blouse complete with low, round neckline with simple pin tucks down the front and long sleeves which were tight to elbow ending with a slight bell around the cuffs. The blouse fit with a brocade belt around the waist that flowed, almost seamlessly into the dark blue skirt that fit snugly around the hips and flared to the floor, complete with a slight train. DG was trying her best not to ruin it or make a fool of herself while wearing it, and so far so good, she just had to get out of the carriage and into the palace and it almost worked, if it hadn't been for that step. As she had reached for the frame of the door the skirt had slipped from her hand and reached the stair a split second before her foot, causing that step to become a lot slicker than anticipated and sent DG flying out of the carriage with a gasp and the audible noise of fabric tearing, as her arms sprawled in front waiting for the imminent connection with the ground. In the moment before the ground came to meet her she felt sturdy arms around her waist and suddenly her feet were securely on the ground, it didn't take a second guess to know who had caught her, in fact she was a too embarrassed to glance up at her savior.

"Thanks, Jeb," she murmured, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"Only doing my duty, Princess," the younger Cain said, as he wrapped her arm around his and began leading her down the walk way.

"Hmph… did Cain tell you specifically to make sure I didn't get hurt while he was gone?"

Jeb gave a small chuckle, "No, Princess. The oath I took to the crown was to make sure you stayed safe and were protected at all times. My father had a trickier task for me while he was away."

"Which was what?"

"To keep you out of trouble." At this she shot Jeb a dirty look, to which he laughed again. "Don't shoot me those daggers, I'm just the messenger. If you don't like it, Princess, I suggest you take it up with him."

DG had allowed herself to be paraded around the palace, been introduced to numerous members of the staff and a few notable members of the legislature and military. There had been a small feast to celebrate. She could see that the day was wearing on her sister too and as soon as the moment arose she excused herself and Az. Eventually, with a sense of pride, DG made it to her room. She only turned down a few wrong hallways, which all looked the same with the swirling marble patterned floors, immense paintings and mirrors and other various ornate fixtures. With a few helpful nods and shakes of the head from two guards, a maid and one slightly confused undersecretary of the government who had, luckily not yet begun to use the facilities of the lavatory that DG had found after her second dead end she found her way to the bedroom. She opened the carved wood door and made a beeline towards her wardrobe. She dug and pushed through the racks and drawers until she found what she was looking for. Thank goodness for Glitch and that inventive seamstress back in Central City, she now was in possession of a few pair of pants, made similarly to those of her beloved Levi's. Quickly the skirt and belt were off and in pile on the floor and she was enjoying the feeling of the light wool on her legs.

_I don't really get into that much trouble, at least I never used to. It's the stupid OZ, I've only been here a few weeks and already I've gotten into and around more scrapes than I can count. Is it really my fault I fell into that marsh outside of the castle? Was it really my fault that every steamcar in Central City seems poised to run me over? Nope it was the OZ, it was the OZ's fault and anyways no one should be that worried I always got out of those situations fine . . . and I guess Cain might have helped me . . . a little. I mean he was only there to pull me out of the mud or to push me out of the . . . _

KNOCK. KNOCK. The sound of the brass knocker on the front of her door woke DG out of the serial rant in her head and as she walked to the door and turned the ornate handle she secretly hoped that it wasn't Jeb Cain "checking up" on her again or he get an earful, innocent messenger or not.

However, it wasn't Jeb Cain, but rather her sister and for a moment DG was relieved, until she took a closer look. Az was leaning against the door frame, arms around her waist and in the dim light DG thought she saw a sallow quality to Az's face that she hadn't seen before and as her sister turned towards her she could definitely see the dark circles now incasing her eyes, a deeper color than before.

"DG," Az almost whispered. "I don't feel so good."

**Oh no, whats wrong with Az? Why is DG so moody? and if I claim that this story is DG/C, where the heck is Cain? All to be answered in the next chapter! But please leave a comment or two to let me know someone is reading out there!**


	2. Old Foes, New Problems

**A/N: Aright then, wow... that was a lot of reads and favs, etc. in 24 hours, sweet. So I thought I hurry up and getting a little more of the story out, it's only a short chapter, but it should keep you interested and give a few more hints as to where I'm heading.**

"AZ? What's the matter?" DG took her sisters arm and could feel as Az shifted her weight towards her. "Here, let's sit you down."

Az sat down on a plush chair not far from the door and pulled her knees close to her chest. To DG Az looked thirteen again, or possibly younger though now it was combined with a certain frailty that was not a quality in any of her recently returned memories.

"Seriously, Az? Did you eat something gross at dinner?"

"No, it wasn't what I ate. It's… DG, can I tell you a secret?" DG nodded solemnly. "I've been feeling strange for a couple of weeks now, and I didn't want anyone to jump to any conclusions because I figured that I was just weak, from everything that was happening and that my body was just taking awhile to recuperate. But recently I've started to feel worse, nothing major. Just slowly, but surely worse."

DG's brows knit together, though she tried to put on her calmest face. "Well perhaps you are just exhausted. I mean after all we've been through…"

"But that's not it," Az looked straight at her sister, tears in her eyes. DG now noticed Az ferociously rubbing her left hand with her right, wringing her hands in what she was sure was a subconscious obsessive movement. "Deeg I think… I think I'm going crazy, I swear I've been seeing things. I keep seeing a figure in the corner of my eyes and the voice. The voice is back."

"What voice? Az! What voice!"

Az tried to stand, reaching out for her sister, clutching at her arms.

"Hers…the witch. Oh Gods DG! I don't think she's gone. It's like she's just sitting somewhere in the back of my head, waiting and…" And that was it, Azkadellia stumbled and in the moment before the two sisters hit the ground DG saw the whites of her sister's eyes behind the loose black hair. They both hit the ground with a thud; Az sprawled as a dead weight on top of her sister. In a moment DG had her wrapped in her arms, shaking Az, trying to wake her and now saw what her sister had been hiding on her left hand. No longer was the twister symbol of the house of Gale imprinted on her sister's palm, but a new symbol glowed faintly. The symbol itself was strangely familiar but it was the black, almost oily quality that bothered her the most and DG swore in the dim light that it seemed to move, as if a small pulse was beating under its oily skin and without thinking she reached out and touched a finger to her sister's palm.

It was as if she was being pulled forward exceptionally fast; light and colors blurred all around her except there was no feeling of wind or moving at all. Suddenly the light and colors seemed to slow, and the blurs became shapes and the shapes became mountains. DG watched as the twin suns set behind two identical and ominous mountains and as the last rays of light disappeared behind the mountains the surroundings blinked out of her minds eye and DG realized that she could feel a breeze against her skin. She moved her fingers and felt cool fabric around her and opened her eyes.

_My bed, I must be in bed. Az… what happened to …_

CREAK. She heard the door open.

_Oh God, someone is in here, I don't have time for this. _DG stopped and listened, who ever it was had stopped walking. The person let out a sigh, but damn the large room it seemed to echo. DG reached for the canopy curtain that were drawn across the foot of the bed and grabbed its thick fabric, "JEB CAIN! I don't care what your overprotective ass of a father said," she said wrenching open the curtains wide while shouting, "My room is off limits!"

The figure stood backlit in the doorway and chuckled.

"Yup, she's awake now." That was not Jeb's voice. DG focused her eyes and realized that the figure in front of her was definitely not Jeb Cain.

"Now get down from there kiddo, before you take another spill."

**A/N: I told you he'd be back... now whats really going on with Az? Will DG fall off her bed? Where was Cain anyways? And where are all the other characters? More to come and as always readers and responses make me write faster.**


	3. This is Normal?

"Mr. Cain?" Dg asked incredulously, she knew her mouth was gaping open, but hadn't realized exactly how much weight she was putting on the bed curtain until,

Clink… clink…clink.. clink clink clink, went the bed curtain rings and suddenly was stable a moment ago had her failing in place. Luckily, with one good swing of her arms she managed to propel herself backwards, landing back on her bed, rather than ungracefully sprawled across her floor. Now, she knew she heard a laugh.

"Haha. Well kid, at least you have enough sense to know where to land, I definitely couldn't have run that fast."

With a frustrated grunt DG hauled herself out of the bed and stalked across the room towards the Tin Man, but as she approached Glitch slipped behind the man, who appeared a little frightened by the angry, embarrassed and slightly disheveled girl coming towards him.

"You," DG stopped for a brief moment in front of him and raised a finger level to the bridge of his nose. "…you… are lucky I don't have time for this now, Tin Man!"

She moved quickly past him, she didn't want to hear anything he had to say right now anyways and there were truly more things of more importance than a silly, old, disappearing and overprotective Tin Man.

"Glitch, my sister. What is wrong with my sister?"

Glitch, a little shocked at the princess's odd behavior stumbled for a moment and then ran to catch up with her as he glanced back at the confused man and gave a small shrug back in his direction.

"Well, she's doing okay now. She's still asleep, you both were for a few hours and Raw just arrived so he's in with her now. The palace physicians couldn't make heads or tails of the situation, except for the mark on her hand she seems fairly, well normal, just asleep."

"Normal? What about a creepy mark replacing her Gale symbol, a sudden illness and my sister pulling a sleeping beauty seems normal to them? I mean I know this is the O.Z., but common!"

They were now outside of Azkadellia's chambers. Glitch reached out and took her shoulder. "Now listen to me, I only said it appears normal and trust me no one knows better than the royal family that when things appear to be going well that usually means anything but. That's why we sent Raw in as soon as we could, he can delve deeper into this than any normal healer. I have every faith that he'll have an answer."

DG sat down on an ornate chair in the hallway. "Whatever it is Glitch, it was enough to grab at me and that mark, and it looks so familiar. I know I've seen it somewhere before." She sat back and closed her eyes.

"DG?" Glitch's voice was raised in concern.

"Shh. I know what I'm doing." She began to breath deep, remembering what Tutor would have her do back in the beginning, to recall her unlocked memories. If she knew this mark that meant it was in her head somewhere, she just had to find it.

Breath, one, two, three, four. Relax, release. Find the light. Let it guide you.

DG snapped open her eyes and nearly sent the poor Ambassador jumping into a wall.

"Oh God, Glitch," she grasped at his arm. "That mark, it was on the cave! It was part of the writing outside the witches cave. The symbol, Az said that symbol meant darkness. It's the witch!"

Without a moments hesitation and without breaking her grasp on the startled man was through the door and into her sister's chamber. Azkadellia lay in her bed and she could have been a sleeping princess in a fairy story. Her parents were standing to one side of the bed, Ahamo's arms wrapped protectively around his wife as she leaned her head against his chest while gazing helplessly at the daughter only just returned to her. Raw sat on the other side of the bed his rough dark hand encasing the delicate, pale hand of the princess. Raw's eyes were closed and his brows knit closely together as he focused intently on his patient. DG went to his side and waited. She was aware that Glitch had followed her into the room and was had stopped about halfway through the room. It was not much longer before the Viewer released his grasp and set down Azkadellia's hand gently back on the comforter.

DG broke the silence, "It's her, the witch, isn't it? She's not completely gone."

Raw nodded, his eyes sorrowful, and turned to address the princess. "It is, she's not as powerful, but there is a bit still connected to Az. It seems that the witch was cleverer than we expected. I don't know how or exactly what it is, but it seems to be feeding off the princess. It's not a part of Az, but it's relying on her life. It is growing in power as she weakens, I can only imagine what its goal is."

DG felt the tears running down her cheeks; she heard her mother's muffled sobs across from her. She felt Glitch's on her shoulders and suddenly her breath become quick and stuck in her throat. She began to twist and turn, she couldn't bear to be in the room.

"No!" She cried as she threw the hands off her shoulders. "No! I just… I just…"

Just as quickly as she ran to her sisters side DG was across the room, the room was constricting her, the people were constricting her; she had to get out where she could breathe, out of the room. She ran threw the doorway, down the hall; running as quickly as she could back towards her room. There was a lone figure standing in her hallway, still standing just slightly outside of her doorway; head down, eyes covered by his fedora, hands stuffed in his pockets. He hadn't moved since she had yelled at him and she ran, nearly leapt into him. She threw her arms around his waist and buried her face into the leather duster and began to sob.

"Whoa there kid… I," he began.

"Cain… I…" She sobbed in heaving breathes into his coat. "I…"

"Shh, kid," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight and bending his head to rest on hers, he whispered, "It's okay, now. I've got you darlin'… I've got you."

**A/N: wow... I don't know about you guys, but I think I just made myself swoon a little bit and for all you DG/Cain fans out there the next chapter is for you. Keep reviewing and I keep writing quickly! Thanks for all the reads, watchers and great comments!**


	4. Small Comforts

**A/N: Thank you everyone for the comments and putting the story on alert or fav. It's flatering. So I pumped out the next chapter as fast as I could for you**

DG buried her face as deep as she could into that leather duster, hoping that it would muffle some of her crying; in the back of her mind she was embarrassed that she had run to the Tin Man like some small child having just scraped its knee, but the tears would not ebb and so she let them fall. Cain's arms were strong and tight around her.

"What is it kiddo? What's happened?" All DG could manage were sobs in between gasps for breath. "Okay, okay. Let's get some fresh air, that'll do you good, come on."

She knew that he had her around the shoulders and was leading her down the hallway, down the stairs and out into the courtyard and before DG could take in what was going on, she was being sat down on something smooth and cool. She looked out from tear-filled eyes and realized they were on the step of the gazebo, a good distance from the palace. She curled her legs to her chest, placed her head on top of her knees and let the tears finish. As she breathed in the fresh air, the tightness that surrounded her began to lift and words came back to her.

"It's Az, the witch is not gone. I thought we defeated her, I thought she was gone for good, but she still there and now Az is sick and they don't know what to do," she sniffed. "I thought it was over. We defeated her; she melted for heaven's sake. We had Az back, I had my family back and for once I was happy. For the first time I almost felt … at home… I felt I had found where my heart belonged. But I was wrong, I messed it all up. It's all my fault!" The tears began to form again and she felt Cain's hand at her shoulder.

"No, kiddo, it's not your…" She shrugged off his hand, perhaps a little too harshly, but it didn't matter.

"It is my fault! I chose to go into that cave, I let go! It was my fault the witch got out in the first place and possessed my sweet sister. It was my fault that evil creature even had a chance to kill me the first time. Now we underestimated her again. She found the perfect way to take advantage of us. The O.Z. has a princess with little magic and Queen with no magic and a stupid little other-sider kid who can't even use her magic enough to sense when her family is in danger!"

She could feel those blue-eyes gazing at her, but she couldn't make herself turn to face him.

"Kid," he began after a deep breath. "You can't keep sticking yourself back in that cave, it's not fair. You can't keep blaming yourself for your mistakes. You need to remember what you've done for your family, for all of us. You've been able to do amazing things that no one else in the O.Z. could do and that is an amazing feet. You can't go getting' hung up on this. You haven't failed and it's not your fault. We're dealing with something that just pure evil and evil is sneaky and manipulative, it will take advantage of every weakness."

"That thing, that monster is not in control of Az anymore, but it's worse, it feels like it's draining her. Almost, as if, it's actually taking her strength, her life from her, and I don't know what to do!"

DG felt Cain move ever so slightly towards her, a slight lean so that she could almost feel the leather of the duster next to her.

"Well, I recall and not too long ago mind you, that there was once a girl who fell from the sky, rescued people, had some thrilling adventures and saved the world without too much of an idea of what was going on at any point. She even gave pretty good pre-battle speeches, got everyone around her to use their heads again and be brave… even if there was a lot of hugging."

Against her better judgment DG let out the smallest hint of a laugh, she turned her head towards him. The look on his face was still serious, though DG had come to realize that that expression was often used for a number of emotions; but, it lifted her heart to see that small turn at the corner of his mouth, the most miniscule hint of smile.

"Oh… but, Cain, even then there were so many people around me that knew what was going on. I was just putting together puzzle pieces, though mind you I never got to look at the top of the box and had to go on a scavenger hunt for the pieces first."

"Well that is the nice thing about the O.Z., it does seem to love giving hints."

Now she out right laughed at him, "Yeah Mr. Cain, I'm sure that the force or whatever in the O.Z. is thinking 'well something's messin' with me, let's leave a trail of breadcrumbs so that some lucky magic idiot will hopefully find them in time and figure out how to fix it!'"

"Well, actually yeah, that's kind of how things seem to work around here kid. No one really knows why, but especially when it comes to your family that's true."

"This place is weird."

"Now come on," Cain said as he got to his feet. "The worst thing you could do right now is cut and run right now. You and I both know that you can't, won't give up on your sister."

He reached out and offered his hand, which DG accepted and he helped to her, somewhat wobbly, feet. They stood facing each other for a moment, he had removed his hat and she could see his face clearly even in the moonlight. She could feel the last few tears running down her cheeks and once again felt a tinge of embarrassment, until she felt a hand on her cheek. He had his palm against her face and with a thumb was wiping away a tear.

"The most important thing to do right now is to keep moving forward," he said, leaning slightly closer. "If we give up now, she wins. Take it from someone who knows, you can't get stuck in the past."

DG allowed herself to crack a bit of smile and realize that there was something strange hanging in the air. She stepped back and gave Cain a playful slug in his arm. "You've got some good advice Mr. Cain." Cain rubbed his arm jovially, though DG swore for a moment he looked slightly confused. "You're right I'm not going to give up, I just need to figure out what to do first," she leaned her head against his arm. "If only I could slow down time."

"I could find you a Tin Box for a few years, but that just seems to slowly down what's on the inside and…uff!" Suddenly DG, not caring about propriety or Cain's strange aversion to hugging her, had her arms around his neck. "Whoa, kid, what's going on? What did I do?"

She let go for a second and looked straight at him, the last time she looked this joyous was in the tower, when she had realized he wasn't dead.

"Mr. Cain, you are a genius! What? Why are you looking at me like that?" He did have a strange, puzzled expression on his face.

"Well, kid there's no easy way to say this, but… you're glowing!"

"Well, I know I'm happy I think I've figured something out."

"No," he grabbed her hand and put it level to her face. "I mean, literally … you're glowing. You know what this means?"

"I think I've found the first breadcrumb and… we need to find Glitch."

"Glitch?" Cain tried to form more a question, but DG had him by the wrist and was running through the garden towards the palace. _Good job Tin Man, _he thought, _you're the only person in history who can ruin a moment by being too smart!_

**A/N: Alright, moving along, a few questions answered and a few more posed. What does the Tin Suit have to do with anything, what exactly is going on with the witch and will DG remember that she's actually angry at her Tin Man? More soon to come!**


	5. Revelations

DG led Cain right to the library where the Queen and Consort were deep in conversation with Raw and Glitch, currently looking more the part of Ambrose than anyone had seen in many years. The Queen was sitting regally, yet stiffly against a high back chair, her hands folded delicately in her lap, only the white on her knuckles giving away an indication of her turmoil. Ahamo was less skilled at hiding his concern. He sat next to his wife, leaning forward, elbows on his knees and chin on his hands while he stared off, intently, into space. Raw and Glitch were engaged in an intense conversation, but abruptly ended when DG came bursting into the room; the Tin Man followed close behind, but stayed towards the back of the room.

Glitch managed a weak smile at the sight of her, Raw seemed relieved and Ahamo seemed to break free of his trance, only the Queen remained as she was.

"Princess," Glitch said warily. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it looks like you have an idea."

DG held up her hand, palm towards her friends and family. "I think I might, but I need to you to tell me about something." She turned back to Cain for a moment, caught his eye, but just as quickly turned back. "I need you to tell me everything you know about the Tin Boxes."

Glitch looked puzzled for a moment and his brow became furrowed; those around him had learned that this was the sign he was searching the Ambrose side of his reunited marbles for answers. Though the half brain had been returned to him, Glitch still had to work around synapse misfires and search for answers when they concerned anything that had to do more with Ambrose; DG referred to it as 'googleing' his brain, but no one really understood what she meant.

"The tin box, the tin box," a synapse misfire usually happened when he was racking his brain like this. "The tin box was originally thought up as medical transport unit for the army. The boxes were to be endowed with a certain amount of magical energy and a very special spell of containment. This allowed the sick or wounded to be carried, safely and unconscious over some distance until proper medical treatment could be administered. The containers were to have only a limited source of power. We never actually built them before the Witch took over but…"

"But," DG continued for him. "It seems that they were some of the inventions the Witch was able to find and manipulate for her use. Using their abilities to induce a waking stasis and turning healing into torture."

Glitch continued, "From what we've been able to discover the Witch changed the spell and that had repercussions and Tin Man stay right where you are." DG looked to see Cain halfway through the door; sullenly he turned on his heel and walked back into the room. "The original idea was to induce sleep, so that the body would continue on it's own and begin to heel itself, or at least hold in the same place; no better, no worse. This what the witch expanded on."

"Get to the point Zipperhead." Cain growled.

"She found a way to make the stasis permanent, so that the victim when placed in the Tin Box was forced to be awake and aware for the length of his imprisonment. They could control that from the Tower, how long they wished to keep a person alive. I've come to believe that there was a second part to this, a clause for just incase. Incase they escaped or incase one day they decided to release the person, that the pain would not end there. The person in the box would remain unchanged for the length of time of their imprisonment while the world went on changing around them. Cain… on the day DG opened that box you were not any different physically than the day you were put there eight years ago. Cain, you may have been alive for so many years and even though you seem to have the sunny disposition of any eighty year old curmudgeon, you have not aged in eight years."

DG, for some reason, couldn't not make herself turn to face the Tin Man, and she felt a small tug at her heart when she heard his sharp and quick footsteps receding in the distance. As much as she wished to run after him, comfort him in return she knew that Az was more important.

"Mother, father," she said slowly, guardedly. "I know this will sound down right strange, but I think I've figured out away to help Az. It's not a cure, but I think it will give us time. I want to put Az in a Tin Box. It seems that the Witch is feeding off Az's strength, her life possibly and based on what Glitch has discovered, I think that it's our best option. I don't think it will keep the Witch from gaining strength, but it might keep Az from getting weaker faster. It should give us enough time. Time to finish this for good."

Ahamo spoke first, "I think it's the best idea so far, anything to give us an advantage."

"And," Glitch said pensively. "I think it just might work, for a time. My Queen, you would have control the Tin Box. I know, forgive me, your Majesty that your magic is no longer strong, and it might not fend off the witch forever but it's a good start."

Her mother turned to DG, her beautiful eyes saddened once again. "But darling where do we even begin?"

DG broke into a large smile and those around her found themselves feeling their burdens a little lighter at the Princesses' calm and determination. "I need a mirror and a map." She turned to Raw, "Raw, we're going dream diving."

**A/N: We're almost ready to start the adventure, sorry if this chapter seemed kind of exposition heavy, I've got a nice bunch of DG/Cain coming up again, promise. Thank you too for my reviews and everyone who is faving or has the story on alert! Keep reviewing please!**


	6. Stuck Between a Princess and a Tin Man

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that's watching the story and to my two many reviewers KLC and aliensister, you two rock my socks!**

It did not take Raw very long to find the recent dream and a little Viewer magic into a near by mirror worked perfectly. The twin mountain peaks came up crystal clear and they watched as the twin suns dipped below the mountain range and the image went black again.

"The western mountains," Ahamo stated frankly. "I've seen them before; in fact I used the caves in them as a hiding place a few times in the beginning." DG knew he was referring to the time when, for the sake of the OZ he had disappeared, banishing himself to live apart from those he loved, to live life as a hunted man until she had returned.

"Is there anything else there?"

"Like I said, a lot of caves and a lot of old magic. Even now it's not a place you want to spend a lot of time in. According to legend, back in the time of the original Gale, the mountain palace of Kiamo Ko was the stronghold of evil witch, not unlike the one who took over Az. She too became quite powerful before she was destroyed by Dorothy Gale. But other than the stronghold it is mainly mountains, valleys and caves; where would we start."

"Well your highness," Glitch interrupted, "I think that we have a good starting point, a destination, even though it might seem general and luckily we might have a time line. The twin suns only align with the western mountains like that at certain points of the year, on the solstice and given that there was no snow on the ground in the dream. I believe that the witch has given us our deadline, the summer solstice. Unfortunately that is almost worse news."

DG tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes. "And how far away is the solstice?"

"About a month."

_A month, well that figures. It never could be ' you have a good year or two'; adventures always had to wait for the last minute._ DG grumbled to herself on her walk back to her bedroom. It was nearly morning by the time, nodding off in her seat while listening to Glitch and her father argue strategy that she had excused herself.

_She had stood, scraping the chair across the marble floor. "First off, I'm exhausted and am going to bed," she began. "Secondly, it will be myself, Glitch, Raw, Tutor and Cain…if he's still around. Third, we will leave in two days. And fourth, I am going to bed."_

DG was a bit proud of herself for that moment, she had tried to use what she called her "royal voice" and it had seemed to work. The men had stopped bantering about who would go on the journey and by the time she had reached the door were discussing, heatedly, what type of horse to use.

She turned the corner to her bedroom, and not surprisingly there was someone standing outside her door, back turned.

"Wyatt Cain! I don't care what you might think, but guarding me in my room when I'm not there is going a bit far! Now go," the figure turned, "Aw crap."

"Sorry Princess," Jeb Cain said. "I was just…"

"No it's okay, don't apologize." _Criminy, I really have to start looking closer when I'm sleep deprived. Well, that and they need to stop switching places on me._ "You can go back to your quarters Jeb. I swear I'm so exhausted I'll be lucky if I make it to the bed before I collapse and I don't sleep walk, so there will be very few shenanigans to get into for a few hours at least. Just go tell that grumpy old Tin Man he's not to leave the palace, no disappearing this time."

"You want me to tell him he's not allowed to leave?" Jeb, the young man who had seen so much in his few short years, seen families destroyed, over seen and entire regiment of resistance soldiers and led men into battle, looked genuinely terrified at the prospect of passing on a simple message.

DG let out an exasperated sigh, "If he gets difficult, just tell him it an order and use a few more official sounding words, big words. And you can then tell him to bring it up with me if he's got a problem."

"Yes, your highness. I'll do my best."

DG turned the handle to her room, but paused for one more moment. "Oh and Jeb? You can also tell his royal crotchety mucky-muck that, since I know he _will_ have a problem with it, that God help me if he wakes me up he will get a pillow lodged in that thick skull of his."

"Will do 'mam," Jeb said with an informal bow as he backed up and turned to walk down the hall _This is one hallway I will be avoiding for the next twenty-four hours._

DG did just as she had planned and fell into a deep sleep, just barely on her bed. In fact, it did not surprise her, when she woke hours later that, that she was still wearing her shoes, lying on top of all her covers, had completely missed the pillows and one leg had not quite made it to the bed. She allowed her self to roll completely on to the bed, burry her face in the soft down comforter and for a moment pretend that everything was fine. However, she could not keep those thoughts at bay, there was a kingdom to protect, a sister to save and most likely a very grouchy Tin Man waiting outside her door.

_Well, I'm trying my best with situation number one, I'm working on rectifying situation number two… as for situation number three, well that can at least wait until I look a feel a little bit more human._

She took her time getting ready for the day, swapping out the previous nights wrinkled and tired garments for fresh. A simple blouse and a pair of trousers cut so large, they could easily pass for a skirt, a compromise with her mother, sister and the royal seamstress. A soak in the tub helped to relax a few of the muscles and clean hair always made DG feel just a little bit more like her self. She paced around the room as she toweled off her hair, thinking of the plan, of her dream and of the inevitable argument that waited for her. After an hour passed, nothing could be postponed much longer, properly clothed and with dry hair pulled back, braided and slung over one shoulder she opened her door and walked into the hallway.

He was there, how did she know he would be. Her heart sank to she that he was dressed for travel and she didn't dare entertain the idea that it was for the reasons she wanted.

"Mr. Cain?" He started slightly, well tensed was more like it, but didn't respond otherwise. DG continued, "Mr. Cain, I'm glad to see that your still here."

"Jeb, made it quite clear that I was not to go anywhere until certain matters had been resolved, even used big, official sounding words, so that I wouldn't be no chance of my not understanding that I've been conscripted for another dangerous and possibly insane mission."

"Are there any other kind?" DG gave a weak laugh. "But, yes, we need your help. I'm sure Jeb or Glitch has caught you up on what is going on."

"I've gotten the gist of it, but I would rather politely decline, if at all possible." He began to move; he turned slightly as if to start to walk away.

"Why?" The coldness in her own voice surprised DG and made the Tin Man stop in his tracks. "Why Cain? Are you planning another urgently important and some what amazing disappearing act, like you did after the fall of the Tower? What could be so important? What is more important than this?"

As it did so often, the fedora obscured her view of his face when he did turn. His voice was even and emotionless. "I don't expect you to understand why I had to leave and I think you can find suitable alternatives within the guard to take my place."

It was taking all her self control not to stamp her foot on the ground like a petulant child. "You are being ridiculous!"

"Let it go, kid." That was the final straw. Without realizing it, as if her hand had a mind of its on it was flying through the air and in the next moment had snatched the travel worn fedora from Cain's head.

"I will not let it go!" She threw the hat to the ground and with her closest foot kicked it behind her. Cain had not moved and now in his revealed face she saw the surprise and anger washing over his face. His jaw tightened and his face reddened, but he stayed silent. "What don't you think I can understand? I know I must seem like nothing more than a stupid, sniveling little brat of child; I thought that perhaps every thing we've gone through together might have swayed your opinion even the slightest bit but I was wrong. Well, Mr. Cain, I've said it before and I guess I have to say it again! You don't know me!"

Now, without the hat to hide it, she saw the hurt combine with the anger on his face.

"And so I ask you again, what is so important that you will abandon me again?"

He reached out and grabbed her arm, DG tried to wrench herself away but he hung to her tightly. She matched his glare evenly; he was furious now, "I … have… never abandoned you! I did what I had to, I needed some time to work out eight years of discoveries and sadness, but I came back."

"Only to turn around when I need you again!"

He held tight to her, but his voice dropped to a near whisper. "I am doing what is best for you, why can't you see that! I can not do this! I've tried. I've tried to protect everyone dear to me and failed. Because of my stupidity my wife is dead and my son grew up without a father! I will not let others be hurt because of what I can or can not do!"

His grip on her arm became loose and she slid it off with her free hand and let it drop to his side. "You have not failed anyone. You have a wife who loved you until her last moment, a son and a kingdom that see you as nothing less than a hero and friends who need you. I would never have been able to do what I've done without you next to me. You never failed me then, hell man; you even came back from the dead! I can't imagine doing what I did without you, just as I can't imagine doing what I have to without you."

His cold blue eyes met hers, the hurt had lessened, but something remained. It was something that she was not expecting to ever see in his eyes, it was fear. "When I found you, you were in that box, but you have to get out of that box for good Cain and if nothing else, this could be your chance to put all of it behind you." At this Cain quickly broke eye contact, but DG was quick darted her head to regain it. "Now I know that I could order you, as a Princess to accompany us on this mission, but I would never want to force anyone to do something they don't. So I'll ask just one question and once you've heard it you are free to make up your own mind and you can leave with no fear of repercussions. Mr. Cain, I am asking you, as a person in need, as a friend who," she caught his eyes once again and suddenly the words caught in her throat. She stumbled over what exactly it was she should say. "… a friend who…who… cares deeply for you, will you help me? Please?"

The moment seemed to stretch out indefinitely. DG watched as his lips moved, but no words formed. She saw in the corner of her eye one of his hands drawing level with her cheek, she could almost feel the warmth from his fingers on her skin as it stopped so close to her. She found herself closing her eyes and unconsciously move her head ever so slightly toward that hand, only to be shaken out of that moment as she was drawn quickly to the Tin Man in a tight embrace, his arms wound tightly around her shoulders.

She felt his chin on the top of her head and felt his breath across her skin as he spoke. "I swear, you're going to be the end of me kiddo, but I won't let you down."

She hugged him back, just as fiercely and replied, "I know."

They broke apart eventually and fell into an awkward silence; now both avoiding the others eyes.

"There is one more thing though," Cain said sounding serious.

Preempting a lecture about the sanctity of headwear, DG turned and reached behind her and picked up the discarded fedora and held it out to him. "Um… sorry, won't happen again"

Cain gave a genuine chuckle as he took his much abused hat from her, pausing for a moment to admire the faint pink color that was rising on her cheeks before securing it firmly on his head again and turning to walk down the hall, calling over his shoulder.

"Well, that's a flat out lie if I've ever heard one."

**A/N: Awww... they're so cute when they get angry and they can't stay mad at each other for long... and it looks like DG is finally starting to get some ideas in her head, thank goodness, I was afraid she was going to be oblivious even longer. Keep reviewing dear readers, I'm having a blast writing this, so let me know if you are having fun reading it!**


	7. Good Deeds

**A/N: Thanks to KLC and aliensister! you guys keeping rocking the reviews! KLC - here's a little bit of Jeb silliness to tide you over until I get that chapter about him confronting his dad up! (I swear I'm going to write it, it's too amusing not too). Also too everyone that has the story on alert or fav, the list is quite long (blush), thank you for reading too!**

The day wore on and was beginning to wear DG out. It she felt as if she had been run all around the castle, and in fact she had. There had been the meeting in the library to go over plans with her father and Glitch, visits to the stables, to the kitchens, back to the library, to see her mother, to see her sister, to the armory even; she was pretty sure that she had at managed to even go to the scullery, though she wasn't a hundred percent sure what a scullery was. She had picked a horse and a saddle, over seen rations and supplies, even been outfitted with a small knife to wear at her hip. It was at this point that she ran into Jeb Cain again. DG couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy, constantly having to go back and forth between her and his father. He saw her coming around the corner, examining the twelve inch long blade and immediately froze and held his hand high in the air.

"I come in peace! Don't hurt the messenger!"

DG gave a laugh, "Depends on what the message is."

"Not really a message I suppose, just thought you should know that Dad hasn't gone anywhere, he's mulling around the castle. I guess you could say skulking, kind of reminds me of how he was acting before he went away last month."

"How so?"

"I don't know really, just the way he is. Not saying much, even for him. Kind of avoiding people and now that I know what to look for I can tell he's collecting supplies, that sort of thing."

"Jeb, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, I mean you are the one holding a knife."

She waved it a little, cutting through the air and gave a small mischievous grin. "Why did he go away? Has he told you why or where he went?"

"A little, he mentioned something about setting things straight, for mother. So I guess that he probably went back to see her again. Maybe did a little soul searching. It's been rough for him, coming out of that Tin Box and having to deal with mother dying and my growing up. I know there's a lot of guilt and remorse, even if he doesn't show it out right. But I do know, and I hope I'm not being to foreword, that he wouldn't stay lost forever. I knew he'd come back, to make sure you were safe; he cares a lot about you."

DG let what Jeb had told her soak in for a moment, in reality it wasn't that different from what she had pieced together between the recent shouting matches, but it was almost reassuring that Jeb, his own son, knew as little as she did. She wasn't exactly expecting the last part, and couldn't help smiling a little bit.

"Can I ask you something, Princess?" DG froze a little, worried about what he could possibly need to know at that moment.

"Sure," she said slowly.

"Are you sure you know how to use that thing?" He pointed towards the knife, still in her hand. She scowled at him.

"Pointy end goes into the man right?"

Jeb gave a hearty laugh at this and for a moment DG saw a bit of his father in him. "Take care of him for me will you Princess?"

DG held up her hand, as if getting ready to take a pledge for the girl scouts. "I, DG, solemnly swear that I will return Wyatt Cain in the exact same shape he left in, perhaps even better. I will not let him be eaten by monsters, have his soul extracted by evil witches or be made into a road pancake by any rogue steamcars. I promise to feed him, let him fight bad guys and take him for walks everyday. I…"

"Okay, Princess, I get it! Just be safe and come back soon." He gave her a formal bow and walked away. _Anyways, I can't tell you that I'm more worried about you killing him than anything else._

A few hours later as the suns were setting and casting a lovely glow in her room DG was diligently packing. Luckily her closet seemed to have been stocked for every occasion and it only took a little bit of digging to find a few heavier shirts, a jacket, even a few pairs of tight riding pants and a beautiful suede tunic. She was tracing the pattern sewn into the tunic with her fingers and letting the slightly breeze blowing in from the bay window lull her into relaxation as she closed her eyes.

There was a flash of light and the now increasingly familiar feeling of being pulled forward without moving. Suddenly the twin mountains were in front of her again, but as quickly as they appeared they blurred again with another streak of light, but this time the light seemed to reverse, she seemed to be going backwards and when the light solidified she was in yet another place she did not recognize.

It was strange though and DG felt as if she were back in the hall of the Grey Gale, the light was strange, almost dim though bright at the same time. She looked at her surroundings, though wondering when they would change again. She was on a small dirt path. To one side were tallgrass fields, swaying ever so slightly in the breeze. In front of her was quaint cabin. No, it was slightly more than a cabin; its wall's were smooth and small porch rapped around the front. On the roof a crooked whether vain sat. On her other side was a small pond; the dirt path led to it and was lined with small saplings. She took in the surroundings; it was strange but as serene as it was the place seemed to put her on edge. She had the sinking feeling that she was being watched.

DG turned slowly and realized she was right.

She jumped back slightly for now on the side of the tallgrass fields stood a woman. This woman looked strange and familiar at the same time. She stood a few inches taller than DG, had a slender body and an almost regal bearing; something similar to the way her mother held her head. She had an oval shaped face with a thin, though not unpleasant lips, a sharp nose and large dark eyes; overall a beautiful face. The woman's hair was jet black and hung to her waist in a long braid. Her clothing too was black and covered every inch of her from neck to wrists and down to the floor. Something else seemed strange, though DG could not figure out what

"Who are you?" DG commanded. "Are you the witch?"

The woman smiled, though it seemed a sad smile and as she spoke her voice seemed to quaver. "No DG, I am not the witch, though I have been called one many times and perhaps I have done much in some eyes to deserve that. However, people are always quick to accuse in the face of something they don't understand, or in my case because of a face they don't understand."

Now DG saw what she could not place a moment before. It was the woman's skin, in the strange half-light she thought it was a trick, but now she saw differently. Her skin had a strange tint to it, it was green.

It was not an overwhelming color, nothing bright or dark, the woman was simply green in the way that some people are dark while others are fair.

"Who are you?"

"I can tell you who I was only."

"Than who were you?"

The lady peered unabashedly into DG's blue eyes, her gaze steady and strong. "I was once the most powerful person in the whole of the O.Z., but power corrupts eventually and while I thought I was doing good the world turned against me and I ultimately turned against it as well. Your greatest ancestor knew me and helped me to put an end to all the evil I had done and some that I had not done as well; she was a great woman, Dorothy Gale and I see much of her in you, little one. When she arrived I was known only by one title; by then I had been named and had become The Wicked Witch of the West. However there was a time when I was simply Elphaba."

DG felt stunned, this was something she recognized. The first bit of O.Z. lore that she recalled as a child. The Wicked Witch, an ancient evil who had almost destroyed the whole of the O.Z. before her greatest grandmother's intervention.

"What do you want with me? I swear if you're trying to sap my life too, there are others that will figure it out and will destroy you!"

"Calm down, the reason I called you here is for anything but that. You see the place I have brought you? This is the place where I grew up; I think it is easy for most to forget that every person has some sort of beginning, for a short time every one has a home. It was while I was here that I was good and innocent and believed in all the good deeds I could accomplish." The woman's face turned serious. "But few good deeds go unpunished, and I hope that you will allow me to help you rectify my greatest mistake, for you see it is my fault that the Witch is still powerful today."

"What do you mean?"

"I was weak child. I had lost so much when I wandered into the Western Mountains; I was hurt, confused and most importantly to the Witch, I was angry and seeking revenge. She thrives on these things and I was an easy target, I was already powerful in my own way and now I was a willing pupil. I suppose I should count myself lucky that I did not encounter her the same way that your sister did. If she had taken over my body there would have been nothing to stop her. Rather, she became my master and slowly began to corrupt my willing mind.

"It began when I stumbled across one of her caves in the Western Mountains, as if something was calling to me and after days of searching I found the trap she laid for me. It was a book, a store of ancient and corrupt magic and through it she taught and I learned. I became more powerful than anyone could have dared imagine, but still a part of me, the old me remained. I suppose that is why in the end I was able to be defeated. But I knew what I had done, I had given her a way to store her power, a little bit of her was in me."

"Like what she is doing with my sister?"

"Yes, I believe so and that is why I had Dorothy destroy my physical body completely when I died, for I knew it was the only way to truly keep her from winning. In the end I knew the evil I had done and wished to once again be able to rectify my mistakes, but I knew that I couldn't, that in the end I was to weak. There was a moment when I could have destroyed the book, destroyed her chance of becoming mortal ever again, but I knew better. There was the chance that I would succeed, but an even great chance that I would fail and I wouldn't give her the opportunity, so I gave my life in the hopes that it would be enough to stop her."

"Well it wasn't, she's still powerful and now ruining more lives!"

"Yes," she looked miserable. "We knew, your greatest grandmother and I, that one day it could happen again and we decided that the world would have to wait until the proper hero arrived and that is why we did what we did. In the end we knew that it was I that was too weak to defeat the witch, but not my magic so we used the Witch's own trick against her. In my last moments we put my magic into certain items, so that when the right person came along she could find and use my magic to defeat the Witch once and for all."

"Well… okay then. Where are these all important magical doodads?"

"I'm afraid that was the last part of the plan, no one can tell you what the three items are." DG's jaw dropped. "We couldn't risk them falling into the wrong hands, so it's like a test. Only the right person can find them."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"However, though I cannot give them to you, I can point you in the right direction."

DG spread her arms wide open, "And let me guess, this," she spun in a circle, "is the right direction."

The woman smiled earnestly. "You've just got to use your head."

And the suddenly the field, the house and pond were gone. The suns, which had previously been setting were now rising over the horizon. DG pulled on the tunic, which was still in her hands, stuffed her feet into her knee high riding boots and was at the door, her pack slung across her back in a moment. The next she was outside the place, giving her concerned parents one more hug before mounting her horse, next to her friends. Glitch smiled, Raw looked determined while Tutor looked anxious and Wyatt Cain simply looked annoyed as they rode out of the city.

"Are you excited for another adventure, Princess?" Glitch asked, a little too chipper for the hour of the morning that it was.

"Of course I am what's not to be excited about?"

"Hmph," said Cain, already riding in front of everyone. "Nothing like ever present danger to start off a morning."

"Jeez, if you're this grouchy already, I guess I should go ahead and tell you that we're going in the wrong direction."

Cain almost skidded to halt, if that was possible on horse back and turned in his saddle. "How is that possible?"

She held up her hand, which she knew to be glowing again. "Let's just call it a hunch."

All of her companions were now turned looking at her palm intently, and it seemed too intently; the glowing Gale symbol was nothing new to any of them.

"What? You guys are starting to creep me out! I know I'm glowing."

"Yeah," Glitch said slowly. "But did you know that you're glowing green?"

She turned her palm towards her and there it was, clear in the early morning sunlight. The Gale symbol was surely shining bright green.

"This cannot be a good sign." Cain said gruffly, rubbing a hand down his face.

"On the contrary Mr. Cain," DG explained, "this is in fact a very good sign. Now who has the map?"

**A/N: Alright! Let's get this adventure started. So we've got a really evil witch, a not so evil witch and currently a party of very confused adventures, what sort of crazy shananigans could happen! For those who want to know I'm taking a little bit from everywhere, so the story will probably vere alittle bit from the regular Elphaba cannon, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprized. **

**What's in store next? Definite adventure, some magic, more mysteries, a few good fights and definitely some much awaited romance. There are new characters and old characters yet to show up, so don't go thinking that this will be a walk in the park. The O.Z. is not a safe place yet for our heroes, special quest or no!**

**I know you guys are reading! So please respond too, it makes my day!**


	8. Misdirection, Right Direction?

**A/N: Thank you to all my readers and responders, especially KLCtheBookWorm, Miller0259, AnEmeraldPoppy, SSGriffindorGirl7, and aliensister. I know there are more of you out there! As I am posting this I've reached over 1500 hits for the story total and over 500 visitors!! That's awesome in my books. Thank you everyone!  
**

"Change our direction? Why?" Cain asked first, cutting off Glitch who had a finger poised in the air. DG chewed her lower lip a little and looked away.

"And why," Cain continued, "do I have a feeling I won't be happy."

"Well statistically speaking," Glitch interrupted, "you're rarely happy, you're rarely happy, you're rarely." The back of Raw's hand slapped against Glitch's chest. "Thanks."

Raw gave a small smile, "Go on, DG. It is important, they must know."

"Well, right before we left I kind of, sort of had another dream and it pretty much told me that we have to go somewhere else before we go to the mountains."

"I take it, you don't quite know where." Tutor's cool and calm voice broke through the tension; DG gave another half smile. Without more words Raw reached out and took her arm, he seized for a moment but then released. He looked at her strangely for a moment.

"I know this place; we must go to the south now, into Quadling Country."

"Quadling Country?" Glitch gave a moan. "But that's all bogs and marshes, what's so important about getting eaten alive by bog mosquitoes?"

"There's something there that can help us defeat the witch, I know it."

Cain stared at her from beneath the brim of his hat. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty much."

He sighed, "Do you know where it is?"

"Sort of," she replied.

"Do you know what it is?" DG squirmed in her saddle and rose her shoulders to her ears, in a feeble attempt to shield her blushing face from his stare.

"Not really."

"And why couldn't you tell us this before we left the castle? We'll need to send a message to the Queen to let her know the plan has changed."

"No!" The group turned and looked at Raw, shocked by his outburst. "No, this is to be a secret. Can't risk _her_ finding out, it is too important."

"And we are to assume, that this new development with your mark has to do with this knew information?" Tutor asked while giving DG a look that stated in no uncertain terms that she was currently being caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

"Think of it as my own personal navigator."

"Well," Glitch began as Cain turned the group around, now heading south, "I personally love secret missions. You know regular world saving missions are so mundane with their information and goals, so structured! Bah! I much prefer secret mission with their mysteries, obscurities and secretive…secret… things. Live life on the edge, is what I always say! You know once…"

"Zipperhead!" Cain growled. "You better zip it or I swear I will push you off the first 'edge' we come to with little or no remorse. In fact, I reckon I will enjoy myself immensely."

Glitch gave a nervous laugh, "Hehe… right." DG glanced to at him and gave him the most apologetic look she could manage.

--

Cain, Tutor and Glitch argued over a large map for a good while, DG took note of a lot of headshaking and jabbing while she sat mounted on her horse near by with Raw. At one point she caught a surly glance in her direction from Cain.

"He's pretty ticked off, isn't he?" DG asked Raw sounding a little morose herself.

"No, Cain is not angry with DG."

"He has a funny way of showing it then."

"He's worried and concerned and confused. Lot's of things going on in his head." He patted her hand. "Give him time to sort things out." She smiled back at him. "Gives you time to sort things out too."

"What? What do you mean?" However at that moment a sharp call from the map group called all the horse into action and Raw slipped away.

The rest of the day followed in an uneventful way that DG found reassuring and familiar. They rode and rested, fed and watered their selves and the horse. They mostly rode on in silence, though the occasionally grumble would issue after a firm swat at a swarm of bugs and occasionally Glitch would burst into song which would cause Raw or DG to keep Cain from 'swatting' Glitch into a ditch. Glitch would then grumble about Cain's lack of aesthetic appreciation, Cain would respond with a retort about the benefits of a zippered-lip and ride a little bit further ahead of the group.

Night came quickly and DG was happy for the end of the day, though she was careful not to complain too loudly. She didn't want them worried about her comfort if they were feeling noble or about her lack of experience if not. She couldn't help feeling a little useless as they began to set up camp. Cain had found a nice clearing not too far from the road with tall pine-like trees, nice dense underbrush around the clearing and to DG surprise not too many rocks. Her main memory of her first O.Z. camping experiences was that the world seemed to be made of nothing but rocks when one was sleepy. Cain set off in search of wood, Glitch saw to the rationing of the evening meal while Raw began unrolling bedclothes and tarps. She and Tutor sat to one side; he was insistent that if was to come on the journey that her education was not to cease and she couldn't find too much of an argument with that, there were still so many gaps in her knowledge of the world she now called home.

They practiced magic for awhile; she was becoming quite adept with it now that she knew what was possible. In the short time since the Tower DG had mastered calling things to her and repelling them away and now Tutor had her working on shield spells. He had reassured her that the Gale magic seemed to be well honed on any type of magic that could be used as a protection. In fact she was quite amused at the story of one of her greats, who had become so good at turning herself invisible that her family and people in palace had taken to carrying around handfuls of flour that could be blown around so that they could know whether or not the rather mischievous Princess was around. Luckily Tutor was just as tired as she was and by the time the fire had been built and the food on it was simmering he had deemed her progress satisfactory enough to quit for the evening.

"Tutor, can I ask you a question?" DG asked between bites of bread and soup.

"Of course, Princess, what would you like to know?"

"What is it I heard about the old fortress at Kiamo Ko? Is there any truth to the old legend of the West Witch?"

"Well, that's hard to say. Once time reaches a certain point the line between fact and legend begins to blur. So much about the West Witch is legend now, but I do believe some of it was based in truth. There is no doubt that there was a person there that was incredibly powerful, though not as powerful as the ancient Witch from the cave and that she was destroyed. It's been speculated in the past who that woman was; truthfully she must have been a child once, had parents, grown up, and perhaps even loved. In fact there's a whole other mythology about her and that, though it's not as popular."

"Why not?"

"That's easy, people don't want to imagine that their enemies or anything they deem evil had nor has a trace of good in them. But what we focus on now is not what she was, but what she became and the truth is that she was horrible. She killed many people and tried to destroy the Emerald City at one point. Rumor has it that she unleashed horrible magic around the fortress of Kiamo Ko and it's never been a place for people since. Why do you ask about her DG? Truly what ever she was she's nothing more than a children's story now,"

DG focused on her empty bowl of soup and shrugged, "Just curious is all."

Tutor accepted her answer with no argument and soon enough was in his Toto form and fast asleep. Cain eventually came back from one last scout around the clearing and sat down next to her, taking up the last of his dinner as she prodded the fire with a near by piece of kindling. On the other side of the fire pit Raw and Glitch sat quietly speaking, though DG couldn't make out what they were saying or their faces too well in the dimming light. Eventually she saw the two forms that were the Viewer and Ambassadors bodies' stretch and lie down; still she prodded the dying fire.

A hand reached out and wrapped around her hand, stopping her little obsessive movement.

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," she responded defensively. "What makes you think that there's something on my mind?"

She looked at him; he looked at her with a no-nonsense expression.

"Okay, fine. I was just thinking about what Tutor said about the West Witch. About how no one cares any more if she might have been good at one point, if she loved or what else she might have done because only the bad things matter. I don't know, I was just thinking about that. If no matter what, you're only going to be remembered for the bad things you do."

She wasn't just talking about the West Witch and Cain knew that. They sat in silence for a while until she gave a small shudder, the fire was dying quickly and the air was chill.

"Come here kid," Cain said as he drew he close and leaned back slightly, so that he rested with his back against a bit of tree and she was drawn in the crook of his arm. "Look up through the trees, what do you see?"

"I see stars, a lot of stars."

"Exactly. When I was a kid my father took me out one night, not too long after my own grandfather had passed on and asked me to look up and tell me what he saw. You see, I had been really sad about my grandpa passing and had told my father that I was worried about what I would remember about him. In fact I was scared the most because I thought I would only remember him by the little argument we had had before he died, it was something silly probably I had broken something and he had wanted me to fess up to it. So my father took me out and asked me to look up and tell him what I saw, and I said just as you did. Stars, I said lots and lots of stars. Exactly, he says, but there's also something else you're seeing but not saying, you forget that you're also seeing all the space between the stars, all that blackness. Well, my father was one for riddles and so he let me stand there trying to figure out what he meant while he went back to sleep. Well it took my eight year old brain the better part of a month to figure it out. It was the day that I could no longer remember what I had quarreled with my grandpa about I knew what he meant.

Up there is two things, light and dark. Often you see more of the dark than you do the light, but what do you remember when you're asked to think of the night sky? You think of stars, all those little points of light, in the end they out weigh the darkness in our minds. I think everyone has darkness in them, but it's up to them to make sure they make plenty of stars."

DG let her sleepiness take over as she drew herself closer, "Mr. Cain, that is a very pretty thought. I really hope you're right." She mumbled a little bit more as she drifted off into sleep, but not before a few more questions escaped. "Cain?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really happy," she managed between yawns, "that you're here … it makes me happy."

Cain couldn't help but draw her closer to him, "I know." She made a content little sound as she relaxed into sleep and Cain drew his hat down low on his face and said with a smile, "Me too."

--

Not too far from the campsite a figure walked in the shadows, just far enough away, he knew to escape notice from the Tin Man.

_Just a few more days,_ he thought as smile crossed his lips, _and I'll be a very happy man too._

**A/N: As always read and review, I love reviews!! Also, I know this is probably my worst cliff hanger so far and will be worse because I won't be able to update for a bit because my computer will be out of commission, but I will try to get a new chapter up as soon as the computer gets back from the doctor!**


	9. You Can Never Go Home Again

**A/N: Ahh!! Never fear I found my USB drive and can write while my computer is getting fixed!! So hear you go! Thank you to AnEmeraldPoppy and aliensister for lovin' the stars and KLCtheBookWorm, for loving all of the dialogue I love to write! Now come on people, there are almost 100 people reading this story consistently! Leave a message, heck I'll even take grammar corrections as a response!**

DG woke to the cool dampness that comes with a fresh morning. She stretched where she lay and tried not to make her yawning too audible. She pulled her blanket up over her face, trying to block out the first few rays of sunlight, but the blanket felt strange. It did not take long for her to realize that it was not her thick woolen blanket, but a familiar leather duster and she let her self smile as she remembered falling asleep the night before. Then something blotted out the sun.

"Rise and shine, sunshine!" She decided then and there that Glitch was definitely too chipper in the mornings and gave a muffled grumble in return. "Well you're about as pleasant as a Tin Man in the mornings aren't you?"

She threw off the duster and gave him a glare that sent him running to the other side of the camp. DG dourly went through her morning ablutions and tried not to give too many sideways glances when Cain returned to the campsite and within an hour they were back on the road again, following much the same pattern as the day before. Glitch would start to sing and be quickly silenced, and by midday Tutor had found himself taken to giving long speeches about the history of the local flora and fauna that put everyone in a bit of a stupor. DG wanted to ask him to stop, but knew Glitch was on the verge of song at any moment and would gladly take a chance to fill the silence, so she listened half- heartedly and gave short, monosyllabic yet encouraging responses to Tutors stories.

It was well past midday and though the entire team could now recognize and locate seven different types of wild fungi, three varieties of local bird and one very irritable and venomous flowering tree the day itself had also begun to wear on them. It was becoming hot and muggy, DG felt like she was back in the Outer Zone during that one summer spent in the eastern part of Iowa for a summer camp; she never thought she would find a place that could be so sweltering hot and humid at the same time, but the southern half of the O.Z. was giving it a run for its money.

Luckily, they came to a fork in the road, literally and were forced to take a break. DG, Raw and Glitch headed for the nearest bit of shade they could find near the road, while Cain and Tutor were obviously content to stand in the middle of the path and argue. The three smart enough to get out of the sun passed around their water bottles and took long draws of fairly warm water and kicked off shoes and layers; DG threw caution to the wind and her tunic to the side and had her boots off and her shirt tied just a little above her waist in a matter of moments.

They watched as the two men in the road continued to bicker much to the amusement of the other members of the party. At one point they called Raw over, to once again go through a description of the place he had seen in DG's memory, only to send the Viewer away and bicker some more.

"So what's the problem?" DG asked after the third consultation with the Viewer.

"Road goes two ways, one way goes to an old town and the other goes into Quadling farmland."

"And they can't figure out which way to go? Well, that is tricky; I really wish I knew my own kingdom a little bit better." DG sighed and gazed at the fork in the road until her palm began to itch. She gave a smile, "But at least I know someone who does!"

She marched past the two men and heard their squabbling continue as she walked straight down the path to the left a few paces. She held out her palm with the symbol on it in front of her, and then walked back and down the path to the right. She heard Tutor jabbering on as she completed this path two more times, until at last as she turned to the path on the right there was the slightest flare of green on her palm. She turned back and jabbed her thumb over her shoulder.

"That way," she said to the two men, their mouths slightly agape. "Now why don't you two ninny's get out of the sun before you melt and we had to scrape you off the road."

They both nodded in agreement and followed her back to the shade where they continued to rest from the heat.

Not too long later they were all on the road again, this time following the right hand path when Tutor sidled up next her.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat, and she knew this meant trouble.

"Yes?"

She had gotten used to this in the short time with royal family. _Ahem, Princess I believe it would be best that . . . _or _Ahem, Princess I don't think that was entirely appropriate . . . _and her personal favorite,

"Princess, I must express my concerns about your appearance."

"Oh jeez, Tutor, come on! It's hot enough to fry an egg and I feel like I'm swimming at the same time. There is no one around and I don't think there are any rules governing dress while on secret missions!"

He grabbed her reins and pulled them both back from the rest of the group, which admittedly shocked her in his forward actions. She glared at him in return.

"Yes, my dear," he said in a hushed voice. "However, if you do not cover up a little bit more I'm afraid two things might occur. Either our dear Mr. Cain will run himself right into a tree or I will have to have words with him about appropriate amount of times he really needs to check over his shoulder. Both of which are very embarrassing options for the gentleman."

"Tutor that's ridiculous," she caught her self though as she caught the slightest turn of Cain's head back at her. She straightened up slightly, "I'm sure he's just being cautious."

He looked at her acutely, "Be that as it may. Glitch might be the dancer, but until today I never saw a Tin Man trip over his own two feet." DG felt her cheeks flushing as the man road past her. Resentfully she untied her shirt and let it fall around her waist again and even rolled down her sleeves for good measure and road on ahead. Passing Cain and Tutor she couldn't help but grumble.

"If I die from heat exhaustion it's your fault old man." Both Cain and Tutor looked at each other confused and shrugged.

A few hours later it was Glitches turn to ride up next her.

"So, the glowy palm trick told us to go this way did it?" She nodded. "Down the path of no return. Too bad it didn't tell us to go left, there's a nice little town up that ways. With food and water, and perhaps a bathtub; you know, all those things we tough guys don't need on our secret missions. So now we are wandering around back country Quadling land, through the endless wheat fields looking for a…"

"A something, Glitch. We're looking for a something, a very important something"

"Ahh," he bobbed his head. "Good to know, very informative."

Suddenly, DG pulled her reigns tightly, stopping her horse. Cain, as always swung around in his saddle.

"What is it kid?" DG couldn't help but notice he seemed a bit edgy.

"Did you guys hear that?"

Glitch shifted his eyes back and forth in large sweeping motions. "What? Is it mobats? A wild pack of rapid wolf-ducks? An elephant?"

She just looked at him, "You have issues….But, no, I thought… I think I'm going crazy … I thought I heard someone laughing. Like a kid, coming from over here." She jumped off her mount and walked to the side of the road. Behind here Cain dismounted as well, hand already at the six-shooter on his leg.

"Whoa, there kid, don't go rushing into something."

"Cain, trust me. I've got a good feeling about this, aha!" She cleared some ditch brush away from a crooked fence to reveal an ancient and rusted diamond shaped piece of metal hanging from one of the forlorn looking posts. From where she stood she could easily see it now, in front of her were two slight divots in the wheat field.

"Well, I guess you're right kid, looks to be an old road going through that field. I reckon, we're supposed to follow that?" She looked back at him with a grin, he gave a sigh. "Well nights falling anyways, it'll be good to be able to find a place to camp away from the road. I'll round up the horses; don't go wandering off too far."

"Sure thing, boss." His hand clenched around her arm and she caught a stern gaze for a moment and then he let go. She knew that look, he wouldn't tell her, but something wasn't right. She waited diligently for the rest and struck out with Cain in the front of the group.

"You going to tell me what's going on?" She asked.

"Just call it a hunch; something's not quite right in the air. Just remember Princess, there's still a lot of things and people that are a mite angry at you for bringing down the witch. Best we find this something of yours and get back on the main road as soon as possible."

She kept her hand held out as they walked; ever now and then changing their direction slightly to keep to the old, barely noticeable path when something hit her senses.

"Cain? Do you smell … water?"

He took a deep breath, "Almost."

"Well look at that," Glitch announced from behind them, "Those two trees just standing there in the middle of nowhere."

"Trees?" Something itched in the back of her head… water, and trees. "Come on! We're almost there."

She took off in a dead run towards the large trees; behind her Cain let out a low curse, threw the reins to a startled Glitch and ran after her, would she never learn to listen to his warnings?

DG quickly realized that what appeared to be large trees in the distances were truly massive when seen up close. They looked like ancient and knotted oak trees to her and twist up far into the sky. Cain, who was not far behind, gave a whistle at the sight. The two trees stretched over a small snatch of dead water and shadowed over what DG only faintly recognized as the small house from her vision.

"This is the place she wanted me to find, her home from when she was a child." DG glanced at her palm, the green light had flared when she came with in a good distance of the trees, but was now just her palm; no design, no light. She knew she was on her own again, for now.

"She?" Cain asked. "This place looks like it hasn't been livable in years, perhaps hundreds."

"Yeah, I think you're right about that. Listen I'm going to walk around, not out of sight don't freak out. I just need to see if there are more clues."

"That's fine kid, you take a walk. We'll get camp started." She gave him a smile and started to walk.

She could hear the small talk and odd noises as the rest of the team arrived and began to make up camp as she walked around what was left of the pond, with its stagnant and bug swarmed waters looking anything but like the cool pond from Elphaba's vision. She was pretty certain that what ever the something was it wouldn't be around the water; as Cain had said, this place had been abandoned for years and anything left out in the open wouldn't have survived the elements. She turned around and looked towards what was left of the house. The sun was beginning to set and she thought to use the best of the light to at least look around the building.

She could remember what Elphaba had shown her of the childhood home and could still easily make out the piled stone foundation that went up about waist high. Precariously set on top of the stone were slated logs and surprisingly, around what was once the chimney, a small portion of roof was still intact. She walked through the ancient doorframe keeping her arms closely around her so as not to disrupt the uncertain nature of the building. There was nothing left that would have hinted at the lives led in this building, there were no rotting piles of furniture, no discarded mementos, just a well preserved fireplace, well protected by the last of the roof, complete with a clap board mantel now only held up by one thin knobby pole.

She ran her fingers over the mantle; even got down and peered in the old fire place. Nothing seemed out of place or strange and it was getting too dark to see anyways. DG begrudgingly returned to the campsite. Tutor was tending the fire while Raw and Glitch seemed to be in a half hearted conversation across the camp near the horses. She could barely see Cain as he made his passes on the outskirts of the camp. She sat down near Tutor; there was one way to find out what was up.

"So any stories tonight Toto?" He gave her a sharp look; she was being too relaxed, so much for that theatre class in college.

"Not tonight DG, I don't really feel up to it. Tried, you know, after the ride. I suspect you are too."

"Oh, not really; perhaps a magic lesson then? You know, magic missile or something cool like that! You know, maybe flight, or telekinesis?"

"You know some mighty strange words there kiddo." Cain startled her, as he crouched down next to Tutor and whispered something in his ear. They both looked at DG and gave hearty laughs, or at least what could pass as a laugh.

"Oh, I think there will be time for magic later," Tutor said while stretching, "But if you'll excuse, I have some business to take care of, won't be more than a bit." He gave her a wink and was suddenly by her side as Toto and scampered, yes there was no other word for it, scampered off into the tallgrass.

"What was that all about?"

"Oh, I'm sure he just had to take care of some business, nothing to worry about." DG raised her eyebrows and caught Cain's eye, he returned the look, which she returned back. Obviously she knew all she was supposed to at a moment like this, or at least in Cain's opinion. She glared through eyes like slits and gave a huff.

"You know what Cain? You can just go sit on a cactus and spin for all I care!"

"What-?"

"Good night!" She stormed over to her bedroll, trying to make very clear that there would be no other arrangement this night, or any other if she could help it. As she was falling asleep she could hear the methodical footsteps as Cain continued his laps around her.

Tutor was running as fast as his legs could carry him, and luckily in dog form that was fairly quickly. Cain was right, in the dark it would be hard to track him in the tallgrass and he had the best chance to get to the town on the other side of the fork and try to find help before it was too late. Hopefully there would be troops loyal to the Queen in the town, or at least a Tin Man of some sort. Something had been tracking them since not long after leaving the castle and they needed help.

The moon had only just begun to rise as he made it into the town, which was nothing more than a few clapboard buildings along a dusty dirt road. One of the buildings still had a few lamps burning and from down the road he could hear the raucous sound of voices. He transformed and burst through the door.

"Emergency!" He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide and turned on the spot. As he ran he retransformed into dog form and dove down the road.

Behind him a figure in a much abused and dirty leather trench coat stepped into the road. He laughed quietly but madly as it pulled a gun from its holster, took a moment to check the barrel and aimed.

"Sorry pup," he said. "I'm afraid you'll have to be put down."

A shot rang out where no one would care and a small yelp came back in return. He walked a few yards down the street to where the old man now lay clutching at his chest as the blood poured through his fingers. Tutor looked up, his eyes widened and his mouth tried to wrap around words, but all that came were choked gasps.

"Oh, come on," Zero said with a sneer, "are you really that surprised?"

He aimed again and shot again, point blank.

**A/N: So how do you like dem apples? Just going to get more interesting from here on in. Remember you leave me a message and I read your stuff too! I live for reviews!**


	10. Sticks and Stones

**A/N: As always thank you to all my reviewers!! I'm sorry if anyone wasn't thrilled with the way I ended the last chapter, it just kind of happened while I wrote! Don't hate me! ) and don't worry, he'll be avenged. Oh warning of a little language in this chapter!**

DG woke feeling as if she had tossed and turned all night. One arm still felt asleep and there was a serious crick in her neck. She tried her best to stretch it away but that only made it worse. Glitch and Raw were still asleep given the deep rumble of Raw's snoring and the indiscernible sleeping small talk that Glitch was prone too.

DG glanced around; Cain was standing near the stagnant pond, barely apparent in the faint light of the early morning. She wrapped the wool blanket snuggly around her shoulders and walked to his side.

"Hey," she began. "I'm sorry for being kind of, well, a grouch yesterday."

"It's okay kid." He let his words fade off and gave her a sideways glance to which she gave a halfhearted crooked smile. Cain gave a chuckle, "No, really. It's okay." Cain wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she couldn't help but feel a little warmer.

Click.

They both froze. That sound, that smooth metallic click was all too familiar.

"How touching," the voice from behind them said. "Hope you enjoyed the sunrise with your little princess bitch Cain. It's going to be your last. Now turn, so I can see your face as you die!"

DG felt Cain's hands tighten around her arms.

"Eloquent as always, Zero, but you surprise me. You were always so good at shooting a man in the back, I'd hate to make you change your tradition, just for little old me. Anyways Zero, you quite outnumbered here, best to just walk away."

"Oh Cain, always so cocky! Always being stupid because of some girl, too blind and deaf to notice an ambush. I've got the two back at the camp with knives to their throats. Oh and you still think you've got your little dog too? I've already used him for target practice."

Dg felt the tears forming behind her eyes, she managed a glance at Cain and he caught her eye. She could see the thought running through them as he managed to mouth one word, run.

_On the count of three…_

_One…_

_Two…_

He gave her a push and she took off running as quickly as she could. Behind her Cain had wrenched the blanket from around her and threw its bulk at Zero.

Bang, a shot rang out with and a grown that followed ringing out in the night.

"Run DG!" That was Cain's voice, if he was shouting he was still alive.

She ran past the camp, and came to a stop. Zero had spoken the truth; Raw and Glitch were both on their knees with knives pressed to their throats by filthy and irate looking ex-longcoats. Raw and Glitch looked anything but worried at the moment, and in the moment her feet slowed down Glitch managed a small shake of his head and very over done wink. She took off running again, disappearing into the morning twilight that cast a heavy shadow throughout the long grass.

Glitch and Raw watched as DG disappeared and then turned their attention to the silhouetted men fighting near the trees. Cain had thrown the blanket with just enough force to knock Zero's arm to the side before he fired; just enough to avoid a shot to a major organ or artery, but not any extremities and he cried out as a bullet ripped through the flesh of his arm sending him to the ground in pain. Zero stumbled for a moment, quickly recoiled and took aim once again while swearing up a storm.

"Now, I know your mama taught you better than to speak like that, Zero," Cain said as he got his footing, his feet hiding the palm sized rock he now held.

"But, you know what they say about sticks and stones right?" He hurled the rock as hard as he could, and smiled as the rock made a sickening crunching contact with Zero's temple. "Stones are better."

Zero howled in agony and instinctively his hands flew to his head. Cain charged, barreling squarely into the man's chest, pushing him to the ground. Zero pulled his guns towards Cain's face and tried to take aim as one hand still cradled the left side of his face; the gun wavered in its aim. Cain blocked Zero's arm, sweeping his hand around and pulled it to his side as Zero let off two more shots into the air. He twisted more and Zero gave a cry and Cain felt the grip on the gun go slack. Reaching around with his left hand Cain grabbed the gun and through it behind him and smiled as he heard the plop it made as it sank into the water.

"Now, this is for your language." Cain pulled back and released punching Zero squarely across the jaw, gave a moan as blood escaped his mouth but still tried to get a grip around Cain's coat lapels.

He punched again, "That was for trying to kill me… again." Zero still struggled.

Cain leaned down and whispered, "And this is for ruining the moment." With a resounding thud Cain's fist made contact with Zero's other temple and he went limp on the ground.

As soon as Glitch saw Zero go down, he knew.

"Time to dance pretty boy." He heard the long coat behind him give a confused grunt. At the same time both Raw and Glitch reached for their captors arms. Glitch gripped tightly around his guard's arm, making him cry out as the waves of pain radiated up his arm and made his hand go numb at the same time. Raw simply held onto the arm in front of him, placing no strain or pressure; just simply touching. His guard, a burly man with a shaved head and horrible side burns began to scream; his eyes becoming vacant while his screams became more hysterical.

Both guards' knives dropped to the ground. Raw swept up the weapons and threw them into the brush and began to run to Cain's side. Glitch, however, was starting to enjoy his self. His guard had backed just slightly, enough to allow Glitch to spin where he knelt and get to his feet before the ogre-like crony discovered that his other arm still worked just fine and aimed a ham-like fist toward his head. Glitch ducked to the side, leaning as the guard sent his whole body weight into the punch, sending him slightly off balance. Glitch spun again and sent his foot squarely into the man's gut. The guard went to his knees, heaving, only to receive another kick to the side of the head and was out face down in the dirt.

The second guard lunged, arms out in front of him, trying to grab Glitch by the shoulders. Glitch simply stepped over the unconscious ogre-guard, bent over in a deep bow and let the man go sailing over the top of him. Glitch heard the thud of two very thick skulls making contact and rose from his bow sending the rest of the guard to the ground. He tried to get up again, but Glitch had another blow to the head ready and gave broad smile and dusted off his jacket as the man fell to the ground.

Raw rushed toward Cain as he staggered away from the unconscious Zero; quickly Glitch was catching up from taking out the guards.

"You guys okay?"

Raw and Glitch nodded.

"You're hurt," Raw said while reaching a hand towards Cain's shoulders. Cain brushed off the advance.

"I'm fine, it can wait. Where's DG?"

Raw pointed in the direction she had run, just as in return and scream ripped through the air. All three men turned on their heels and ran.

DG had ran as fast as she could, though he stomach clenched at the thought that she was abandoning her friends. She ducked below the tall grass and made straight for the dilapidated house; she could hide in the shadows until it was safe. She backed into the cabin, trying to get a view of the fight down the hill when she felt arm clench around her waist and mouth. She opened her mouth and tried to scream, but the large grimy hand muffled the sound and filled her mouth with the taste of sweat and dirt.

"Well, looky what I've got here." The man's voice was deep and gruff. "Won't Zero be proud of me? But, first perhaps I should take a look at my little prize."

He spun her where she stood. She could make out in the morning light the man's crooked nose, stubbly face and there was no escape the reeking odor that escaped his mouth as he spoke.

"What a pretty little bird. Why don't you sing for me little bird?" He pulled her closely to him; she felt her self gag and then pulled back her leg and let her knee solidly collide between his legs. He let go of her for a moment, but only to reel back and strike her across the face. She tasted blood on her lip as she backed up further, groping at her side. Her face dropped as she realized her knife was still sitting beside her bedroll back by the fire.

The man advanced, now breathing deeply. "I always liked a challenge." He charged at her, knocking her into a corner by the fireplace, she screamed. She sank to her feet but still kept kicking at him while she fumbled around, looking for something she could use. She heard, coming up the hills the frantic shouts of Glitch and Cain as her hand clamped around the lone stick holding up the fire place. She wrenched it away and the rest of the mantle crumbled to the ground. Leaning against the fireplace stone she got to her feet, swing the stick, trying to keep the attacker away, advancing on him while keeping her back to the wall.

He stepped to his right and she swung to meet his move, but with a nimbleness she was not expecting he feigned and lunged to the left. She spun, blessing Glitch for teaching her some of his moves, while pulling the stick back in order to thrust it in to his head or gut, which ever came first.

_Help me! _She called out in her head, and made to drive the weapon home.

It seemed to happen in slow motion; she finished her spin and planted her feet firmly on the ground. She pulled back her arms and like a sling released again. She caught the man's eye for a split second and felt a rush going through her and braced her self for the impact.

It never came, instead the room seemed to glow, no it definitely glowed green and it a split second the man was sailing through the air, had hit the remaining bit of wall on the opposite end of the house with a crack and sank to the floor, unmoving. DG stumbled, she felt light headed, in what seemed to be the distance she heard voices she looked to her left and saw Cain, Glitch and Raw barreling though the rotted doorframe. Her knees gave out and she crumpled to the floor. She saw Cain above her, saw his lips moving, but could not hear the sounds they made as she slipped into darkness.

They saw DG hit the floor, Cain nearly tripping in his attempt to reach her quickly. In a moment he had her in his arms.

"Kid? Princess!" He shouted as she gave a small smile and closed her eyes. Raw knelt down. "Is she okay?"

Raw put a hand on her forehead and closed his eyes for a moment. He nodded, "She just needs to sleep right now."

Cain nodded, while pulling her into his arms and lifting her off the ground. "We need to get out of here, now!" He turned towards the doorway as Glitch put out an arm to stop him.

"Not that way, it looks like our sleeping beauties are waking up."

Up on the hill by the trees the two guards had woken up and were carrying a third body, Zero's, between them. They turned and ran.

"Where are they going," Glitch asked.

Cain grimaced, "To get reinforcements."

**A/N: Points to anyone who can guess what DG found! Please review, come on lurkers!! I know you want to! The next chapter will be introducing an OC, more of Elphaba's secrets and definitely some action!**

**Also go check out "Like Being stuck between a Princess and a Tin Man" the "missing" chapter of what happened between Cain and Jeb after DG's order to "stay put"**


	11. Kidnappings and Broomsticks

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while since an update. Thank you to all my reviewers and readers!!**

Cain turned to Raw, "I need you to carry her. The arm isn't good and we need someone to shoot if it comes to that. Zipperhead, I need you to be on the look out. I'll bring up the rear, but you need to keep an eye on where we're going."

"And where might that be?"

"South, toward the marshes." Glitch looked as if he would argue, but shook off the notion and nodded in agreement instead...

Raw had gathered DG limp form in his arms and was surprised when Cain reached out as if to touch her for a moment, but stopped. "She's okay right?" He asked without taking his eyes off or her.

Raw nodded. "Yes, it's like before, she's just asleep."

"Alright, we'd better get going."

"Cain? What about that." Glitch pointed to the knobby and now mundane looking stick that DG was previously holding.

"It looks like DG found what she was looking for is my guess, better bring it along and hope that it doesn't magic us before she wakes up. What ever it is, I don't want Zero to get his hands on it."

With a glance over their shoulders they took off, southwards through the field.

DG knew it was a dream before she realized that Elphaba was standing across from her again. The place had the same quality as the time they met in the farmhouse vision the same graininess to the air, the same colors. However, now they were standing in a desert, surrounded by imposing dunes that shifted and whirled with sand as they stood still.

"You found it." The greenish woman said with a small smile.

"I guess I did. Thank goodness for impulses. But why am I here now; are my friends okay?"

"They are fine; though not out of the woods quite yet. You will awake in time to be of help, never fear."

"What was that thing I found and why was it holding up the fireplace?" DG asked, feeling that there needed to be a few questions answered while she could.

"You found my staff, the conduit of my magic. If you had grown up in the O.Z. you would have heard scary stories of me riding through the skies on my broomstick, it quite silly how things get blown out of proportion over time."

"So you couldn't really fly?"

Elphaba laughed, "Of course I could fly, but Glinda would have flayed me alive if I had chosen a conduit as mundane as a common cleaning apparatus. It would have been quite difficult in my worse years if I had been seen scowering the skies on something like that. The thing itself is a magical artifact and with it in my hands I was capable of quite a lot, including levitation. Now that you have it, you will be able to use your magic to their full abilities too, with little work. It seems to heighten magical ability. As to why it was where it was I do not know entirely, for I only decided on the relics to keep, but not where to hide them."

"The relics?"

"Now, that I can tell you more I will, though it you might not understand it all," Elphaba said and grinned a wicked sideways smile. "Once upon a time," Elphaba began, "I suppose that is almost what it seems like now. At one point in time there were three incredibly powerful witches in the O.Z.; myself, Glinda of the North and your greatest grandmother, Dorothy. As I've told you already, the ancient Witch of the Dark had corrupted me and my power, but not beyond all hope and hope was what Glinda had in spades. I believe it was she who looked for and brought Dorothy from the other side and it was through Dorothy that she reached me, what was left of the real me and we began to make amends for the

wrongs I had done.

We were able to draw out the witch and her influence from me, and trap her once again but I was broken and near death. The witch knew enough to know that I was her equal in many ways and that I would eventually be her undoing. So in my final day my dear friends helped me to trap my magic into the relics I choose; three relics in fact, always an ideal number. So I choose the three things that were the dearest to me and then gave instructions for those things to be hidden."

"Why?" DG interrupted. "Why hide everything separately, why not together? It'd sure be easier on me."

Elphaba laughed. "I'm sure it would be child, but we also knew that there was a risk with doing this. If the witch ever escaped before she could be destroyed and discovered the items, she would have direct access to my magic once again. She had used me before and could have used me again to find the items; so their final locations had to be hidden from me.

So I chose my three items and entrusted them to the three people I most cared for in the world. Glinda chose the first item, the staff and hid it, telling me that it would be in the first and last place on earth I would want be. Dorothy was a little bit straight foreword."

The expression on the woman's face changed suddenly. "You must go back, now."

The desert around her began to fade.

"No! What did Dorothy tell you? Where am I to go next? What the hell am I looking for this time?!"

"Something you've already seen," Elphaba's voice seemed to ring out in her ears. "Dorothy promised that she'd keep the relic with her forever. DG, you must hurry… oh God's I never thought she'd figure it out, she knows and you must hurry… I'm so sorry."

"What?"

Once again it was like moving without moving and suddenly DG was aware of her body and her real surroundings again. She was definitely on the ground that was definitely a rock and a few sticks poking in to her back. There was a fire going next to her, she felt warm on one side of her and could hear the noise of the popping sticks in the flames.

_A fire?_ She thought. _It was morning when we fought Zero, have I been that long?_

She opened her eyes while pushing herself on top of her elbows and gave her eyes a chance to focus on her new surroundings.

"Oh God," she muttered. "What now?"

She was on a makeshift bed of blankets and pillows too nice for your common trekking gear and the tent was definitely larger that the ones they been packed with at the palace. There were six fabric panels, each a deep, rich green mottled with small gold diamonds. In the middle of the room was a small fire, with a rather nice brass tea kettle resting on a grate over top it, which was starting to whistle.

_Have I been kidnapped? _Her mind raced through every lesson that Tutor, Jeb and Cain had given her about what to do if ever taken by the enemy; which they all seemed to agree was only an inevitability. Step one: she checked over herself, there were no chains on her wrists or feet; she gripped around her stomach and no, not even around her torso. Step two: she looked around for her own belongings. The knife, she knew, was lost at the old camp, but she still had her own clothes on, and her shoes. Step three: She glanced around again.

_Well either we've stumbled across the wilderness version of a Hilton hotel, or I've been taken by the most inept kidnappers ever._ Not only was there the small fire (good for kicking embers she recalled from a fairly vivid story Jeb Cain had told her) and a hot kettle full of water (also good in a pinch via another Jeb Cain adventure), across the small tent was a substantial unstrung long bow and a quiver full of arrows and a small array of what appeared to be throwing daggers on lying out on a leather satchel. However, most importantly, next to the rest of the weapons was a gnarled old stick.

_Elphaba's staff! They really are idiots._

She quickly got up and retrieved the wooden staff from the other side of the tent, trying to make as little sound as she could in the process, but to no avail. One of the tent wall panels pulled back. Instinctively she pulled back into what she thought was a decent imitation of the poses she remember from all those horrible martial arts movies her high school boyfriend had obsessed over.

To her relief in stepped a familiar figure.

"Glitch!" She dropped the stance a little, only to take it up again another panel pulled back.

"Raw!" She exclaimed as the healer stepped into view; she released her stance complete as she saw a third panel move again and even before the figure had stepped into the light she found her self saying, "Cain!"

The third figure stepped into the light.

"Whoa! Not Cain!" DG said in mid stride towards him, caught her self mid-step, lost her balance and fell backwards all while trying to get a grip on her staff again, which landed her in a half crouch not to far from the floor with the staff over one shoulder like a throwing spear. "Who the hell are you?"

The man in question gave a low laugh as the staff gave off a few green sparks and Glitch stepped forward.

"Princess," he said, a little uncertain in his best Ambrose impersonation voice. "I would like to introduce you to the Ardin, Prince of the Arjiki tribe and our rescuer."

She would not get up from her stance. "Rescuer? What do you mean Glitch, what did we have to be rescued from while I was out." And then it hit her. "Glitch, what happened? Where is Cain?"

Neither Glitch or Raw would meet her eyes.

"What happened!?"

"I'm sorry, Princess," Glitch began softly. "We tried."

**A/N: Hahaha! That's right, now I leave you with a cliff hanger!! What did I do? Did I kill another character? Perhaps I should say give me 10 reviews for this chapter or the Tin Man gets it! bwahahaha...**


	12. Threats and Answers

**A/N: Wow, my cliff hanger last week caused quite a stir, and I gave up waiting for my 10 reviews... sigh, maybe next time. Thanks to all who did review, past reviewers and new. Enjoy!**

DG gave a weak laugh. "What do you mean 'you tried'? Where's Cain?"

There was still silence.

"Glitch! Answer me, where is Wyatt Cain!" She was on her feet now, though still brandishing the staff like a weapon; it continued to spark as she jabbed it into the air.

Glitch put his hands up in the air defensively and Raw copied him instinctively. Ardin also took a few well thought steps backwards

"Whoa there doll, don't go lighting the drapery on fire. From what we have found out he's fine, well at least, he's still alive."

DG let out the breath she had been holding in, but did not loosen her grip on the staff; there was too much that was not being said here.

"Princess, this Mr. Cain has acted very selflessly to protect you. I think you would be doing him a disservice to do anything rash right now," the Prince of the Arjikis cut in and for the first time she took notice of the man, only to give him a scathing looking. He glared back at her. He seemed to be about as old as Cain, though a bit more weathered with a dark tan and lines that crinkled around his eyes. He was a complete opposite to the straight laced Tin Man she was used to; in fact he wouldn't have looked too out of place in a hippy drum circle with her father back on the Other Side with knee length linen pants and open leather vest and flowing shirt. While he did give up a decidedly "Summer of Love" vibe, he also had an air about him that was heavy with authority and with a sigh she set down the staff, but did not let go.

"So what happened? Tell me everything, from the beginning." She asked slowly.

"Well," Glitch took a big breath. "I don't know all the details, but the beginning for me started when I was hanging from the ceiling of wicker cage suspended perilously high from the ground and…"

"Glitch! Not that beginning!" He looked at her quizzically for a moment and then the proper synapse fired; he smiled and began again.

"Well," he took another breath. "We were fleeing from that dilapidated house where your magic stick managed to take out an attacking long coat before you passed out. Cain got us on the run quickly, though without the horse as Zero and his lackeys were already riding off with them. He thought they were going to get reinforcements and we took off running, as to put as much distance between us as we could. We ran for what seemed like hours but in the ended three people on foot and one sleeping princess cannot out run a small cadre of men on horseback and it was not long before we saw the dust being kicked up behind us." He paused and she glared. "Now you're not going to like this part Princess, so I want to remind just how formidable our Mr. Cain can be when he sets that stubborn noggin of his to something. Well he got it in his head to be noble and told us, and I use that word lightly, to keep running with you and that we stay and hold them off. He had it in his hand that most likely Zero was after him more than the rest of us, because of all their personal vendettas against each other. Well DG, please trust me when I saying we did not just obey his command simply, but yes eventually we did. Raw and I had to think about your safety. We continued to run and I could hear his pistol being shot behind us before we got too out of range."

Her gripped tightened around the staff and her mind reeled in outrage, but something washed over her and she regained her calm enough to manage, "So how did we end up here."

"Raw and I managed to get into the woods near the edge of the marshes and stopped to rest and hide for the evening, thinking we had gotten enough space between us and them. As we began to relax we became aware that we were surrounded and readied ourselves to go out fighting."

Ardin cut in, "However, they had no need for alarm. It was I and a hunting party that had stumbled upon them in the woods. We had tracked them for some distance and wished to make ourselves known as it seemed they were not where they intended to be and were having some difficulties."

Glitch made a noise as if to cut in, but Ardin raised a hand. "No my friend, do not argue. When we came across you, you were attempting to start a fire with two wet twigs; it was quite obvious you were in need of assistance. Once we made ourselves known and your friends alerted us to your story, we invited them back to our camp for the night. But, not before I sent out a few of my scouts to see if something couldn't be done for your friend Mr. Cain."

He let the silence hang theatrically in the air before continuing. "Luckily the Arjikis are some of the most skilled trackers in the OZ and it did not take them long to find the site of that last skirmish."

"Just tell me if he's alive, damn it!" She couldn't help herself; it was all taking to long.

"Yes, Princess," Ardin said with a relieved voice. "To the best of my knowledge he was taken by these rogue Longcoats alive, but most likely injured."

She felt tears rolling down her cheeks but wouldn't give into the emotion yet. "And you found him right? You've found the camp and we can go rescue him and get him out before Zero extracts this vendetta."

Now no one seemed eager to speak.

"I'm afraid not. It is not as simple as it seems." Ardin said calmly.

"Simple? How could it be simpler? I'll lay it out for you. Step one; help the Princess find Zero and Cain. Step two, help the Princess rescue Cain and kill Zero. Step three; get big reward from the Princess!"

"DG," this time it was Raw who approached. "It is not that simple because we cannot find them."

"What do you mean?" She pivoted in place to glance at the men around her. "I thought the Arjikis were skilled trackers? Why can't you find an injured Tin Man and a bunch of bumbling Longcoats?"

"We found the site of the fight and enough evidence to show us the fight that ensued; however both of the trackers, whom I would trust more than anything seeing as they are my sons, swear that it appears that suddenly after his capture they all just disappeared."

Without warning she threw staff to the ground, which sparked ferociously as it rolled to toward the men's feet.

"Gah!" She yelled. "What is it about this place? Magic rocks, magic sticks, weird hippy nomads and strange green women? When is it all going to stop and start to make sense! Can't this place be normal and safe and rational for a moment?"

She fell to floor sobbing until the tears ran dry and screamed until her throat stung and darkness over came her again.

Glitch and Ardin made their way out of the tent again after Raw had elected to stay by her side, knowing he could soothe her thoughts while she slept. The two men stood by a large campfire in silence until Glitch ran his hands through his hair and let out a gust of breath.

"She is right; it is always far from uncomplicated when the royal family is involved. I don't suppose you have problems like this within your lands do you?"

Ardin gave a chuckle, "Obviously not to such an extent. The need for adventure and quests has seemed to have died out within our lines over the years. Though something she says does concerning me a bit. I do not think you were being dishonest with me, but please tell me who is the "strange green woman" the girl was talking about?"

"I can only guess. We thought DG might have been keeping something from us and now I can see we were right. We are dealing with an ancient evil in trying to saving her sister from the final grasps of the Witch, but it obviously goes deeper than most of us have thought. I know what you are thinking; there has only been one green woman in our history, so I don't think we need to rack our brains with guess who and that is what I am afraid of now."

"That stick is obviously not just normal piece of wood is it?"

"I think not." It was not Glitch who answered; the two men spun and were surprised to find DG standing behind them and calm, yet hollow look on her face. "I believe it is time to be more open with you." She motioned them back into the tent; their eyes darted to Raw, standing behind her and he gave a small nod of assurance. They stepped back and seated them selves as DG began weaving her story.

She left no part of the dreams and conversation untold and when she had finished Raw was gazing fixedly at the floor, Ardin still retained his cool countenance while Glitch sat slack jawed on the floor. She let story sink in and waited for one of them to speak.

"Wow," Glitch finally managed. "Totally throws the bed time story of St. Glinda and the Green Witch in the wringer. I don't know if I can really believe it all. Raw?"

"DG tells the truth. I have to believe that."

"Prince Ardin?"

"I do believe her, but not solely because of her stories, though credible they are. The Arjiki tribe has never followed the same lore as the rest of the OZ, we have never seen the Green Woman as something to be feared. Now, do not get me wrong, we believe in all the terrible things that she had done and now you help us shed light on the truth of those matters, but we have never believed her to be truly malevolent as the rest of the world seems to think?"

"Why is that Prince?"

He smiled, "Because the Green Witch was the savior of the Arjiki royal family so many years ago, or so our legends say. When that time of evil came over the land it seemed to fixate on our tribe, stealing away our dowager Princess and her children not long after the Prince had been captured and slain. Our tribe fought against the evil witch, but in the end it was one of the Green Woman's men who, not long after her demise, returned the only living survivor of the royal family to us. He instructed told us of the truth of the Green Woman, of her goodness before he too disappeared and we have honored that image of her all these years."

DG smiled, "I'm sure she would be gracious to know that someone in the world knows of her goods deeds more than her bad."

Glitch interrupted the moment, his words going miles a minute. "So let me get this straight. We are currently on a quest to save your sister by defeating an ancient evil witch who is trying to suck her very life out of her and helping us out are a bunch ancient ghosts of legends who are seeking to avenge their own past misdeeds by giving us magical items that will eventually help DG defeat the evil witch."

Everyone nodded.

"And we can't just ask where all these things are because DG needs to prove to the old ghost that she is somehow worthy of this junk and because we can't let the witch get ahold of these things because she could become more powerful than belief with the Green Woman's magic and Azkadelias life?"

Everyone nodded again.

"So now we have to find two more magically items, decode the Green Woman's warnings and get back across the country to stop the witch before the solstice? And to top it all off we've stumbled across a band of helpful nomads just when we were running for our lives from crazy ex-patriot Longcoats and Zero, the king of the personal vendetta, who has killed Tutor and chased us halfway across Quadling country only to disappear into the thin air after capturing Cain?

Everyone nodded again, hiding laughs as Glitch was now pacing around the tent, his arms waving high in the air.

"Yeah, Glitch that pretty much covers it." DG answered finally.

Glitch skidded to a halt.

"Oh good," he said with a smile. "I was afraid I had missed something. So what's the plan doll?"

"We need to go pay my greatest grandmother a visit."

Cain ears rung, his chest hurt with every breath and his head felt like it was wrapped tight in a vice as he dropped to his hands and knees hitting a cold stone floor. Through the buzzing he could hear Zero shouting orders.

"Get the scum on his feet again." He felt two sets of hands around his arms, jerking him to his feet.

Cain lifted his head to meet Zero cold gaze.

"Didn't your father teach you not to pick a fight you couldn't finish Zero?"

Crack, he heard the bridge of his nose crunch as Zero fist came in to meet it. He could taste the salty tinge of his blood on his lips as it spilled down his face. Zero had him by the hair, wrenching his head up so he could look Cain in the eyes again; he had a sickening grin plastered to his pale face.

"Oh, I'm going to finish this fight once and for all Cain." Zero shoved his head back down and began to pace in front of him.

"I never thought I would thank anyone for getting in my way of killing you, but I must admit I got carried away when I saw you there, such an easy kill. I almost forgot my mission."

"Still the Witch's lapdog eh Zero?" Cain spat.

"When it suits my needs, the witch made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Apparently you are important at the moment, a rare commodity. In truth I wanted to go after you little boy first, but he's too well protected in that damnable palace. I wanted to make you suffer again, but this is just as good. The witch needs you, but not yet and since I did so well at apprehending you so quickly I have plenty of time to play."

"Why not just kill me now? Get it over with?"

Zero stopped and walked over to him, his two men lifted Cain to standing position and Cain continued to stare him down the best he could. Zero gave a small chuckle as he came within arms reach of Cain. With the two burly Longcoats on his arms he had no hopes of block this punch that thudded into his jaw, he stumbled for a moment but regained his footing.

"One, she needs you alive at least until the solstice."

Thud, this punch went directly into his gut; try as he might Cain could not help but double over at this.

"Two, I want to see the look on your face when we kill that little Princess of yours."

Zero had him by the hair again, pulling his face up again.

Smack, the backhanded slap stung his already bruised jaw.

"And three, this is just too much fun."

**A/N: As KLCtheBookWorm said "I'll believe you killed Cain when you changed your character listing" or something like that. Like I could kill him! He's just too darn pretty to die, but he's not going to have it easy. Points to anyone who can quess what the third relic is or who the third person who hid the relic is? i think it's obvious, but I wonder. Hope you're enjoying! Please read and respond (come on people I know who has fav'd this and who has it on alert!) More to come! **

**and now we're off to grandmother's house (in a manner of speaking)**


	13. And home before dark

**A/N: I'm sorry to have abandoned you for so long dear readers! Blame it on a severe case of writers block, the holidays and an upcoming (like 3 days) move clear across the country. But here you go, sorry if it's a lot of exposition, etc.**

It was taking too long, too f-in long, in DG's humble opinion. It had taken the Arjikis and full day and night to gather supplies and find enough people to go along on the quest, as everyone was now calling it, except DG. She flat out refused to call it a quest, this was not some stupid fantasy book with big breasted elf women and half clad barbarian princes on the cover, the was her life and she wanted to hold on to a thread of sanity. This was a mission, she was on a mission and the wandering nomads, magic green people and various other people with various other quirks were just there to help her on her mission.

They had now been on the road, looking for the Gale family vault, for close to a week and had not found it yet. Of course this all would have been going a lot faster if she had packed that whirly-ma-jig that she used to it in the first place. She had given Glitch and Ardin as much information as she could remember. There had been a lot of trees, and some rocks, lots of rocks actually, but not really big ones and maybe some water, but definitely lots of trees.

Glitch had given her a large 'good for you' smile, while Ardin explained that she had just described about 60% of the O.Z. It had taken another two days of pouring over maps to cancel out most of the Vinkus and Quadling Country because of the terrain and on the second day Glitch had a synapse fire correctly and realized they could do a lot of back tracking if they retraced the first quest. Mission, DG had interrupted, it was a mission. So the group, on their _mission_, had set out on the fourth day after Cain was kidnapped northeast through the edge of Quadling Country and into what was the Old Munchkin Land.

They had been discouraged to find that Ardin refused to lead them by the old brick route.

"It's too dangerous to be out in the open now that we now there are Longcoats still around. This way we will hopefully come across them before they find us." Ardin had said sternly and ended that conversation.

About two days into the mission, Glitch had asked DG if she could use the staff from the Elphaba (though the term he used was "you know, that _green _person") to find their direction. This had resulted in DG walking around, swinging the staff, even sticking it straight up in ground and saying every crazy hocus-pocus word she could think, and thanks to those freaking wizard kid books, she knew a lot of them. This had resulted in nothing but some more green sparks and a sore head for Glitch from when DG had started to get careless about her swinging.

"Well," he tried, "sparks are good, and I bet I couldn't ever make sparks. Perhaps we should follow the sparks."

"Except, brainiack, that sparks just shot straight up in the air, and I don't think any of us can fly." Glitch looked as if he was pondering any possible avian tendencies of anyone in the group as DG rolled her eyes and looked away. She was getting aggravated and cranky, really cranky.

She felt a warm hand on hers.

"DG is very worried, we know. Remember, we are all worried, but we all know that Cain is a very strong man, he will be alright."

She looked back at Raw with a sigh. "I know, but for how long? If we keep going in circles we'll never make it to the mountains in time to save anyone."

DG remained silent until they stopped to make camp for the night. DG excused herself with a need to get a breath of fresh air and walked into the surrounding forest promising not to go far hearing Glitch as she left wonder out loud, "Fresh air? I could do with some nice musty city air my self."

She kept her word and didn't wander too far; she could see the faint light from the new campfire glowing through the trees. She had brought the staff with her, to what ends might come of it, she had no clue. She propped it up against and tree and stared at the dubious piece of wood.

"Okay I don't much care for you right now and you are apparently having issues with me or don't realize the gravity of our situation or are just a dumb piece of wood." DG stopped and stared down the stick again, actually hoping for a reply. Nothing.

"I wish Tutor was here, I bet he knew all sorts of ways on handling mood magic sticks. Now come on stick, I just want to find Cain! That's it! Find Cain, save the day! Gah!" She pounded her hands on the tree that it leaned on. It sparked a little.

"Okay, now we might be getting somewhere, which was better than nothing. Okay, boomstick," she stopped suddenly for the staff hissed, it actually hissed at her. "Okay… I won't call you boomstick and apparently not stick at all." It gave off sparks again, DG smiled. "Sparky it is then. Obviously I'm not Elphaba and I'm not my greatest great grandmother. I'm a kid from the Other Side just trying to help out and I have no idea what I'm doing. I need to get Cain and save my sister and stop an evil witch, again and in order to do this I need to find the mausoleum. But I've only been there once and that was only because my crazy hippie Dad had another magical do-hickey that helped me find it."

It sparked just a little.

"That's all I need to do right now, is find the Other Dorothy. Now can you help me do that or not?"

The staff sparked a little and DG let out a sigh, "I guess not."

Then it sparked again, more this time and brighter and began to shake. DG reached out and took hold of it and somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered Tutor and it came to her. There were no fancy movements, no magic words for the real magic; it was about what you wanted and being able to focus that. _Just concentrate, DG_.

She took hold of the staff with both hands tightly. _Cain,_ she thought, _No! Can't think about Cain right now, need to find the mausoleum, that space in the trees that was there but wasn't there. The mausoleum, focus on it! There were rocks and trees and magic, old magic, Dorothy. _The staff began to shake at this_. Dorothy, I need to find Dorothy. Take me to …_

With this the staff tried to lurch out of her grasp, but she held on tight and felt the rush of the world around her and she suddenly stopped. DG was surprised, there was no falling, not even a landing; it was as if the world had moved to her instead and she knew where she was. She looked slightly to her right and in the dim light she saw the door.

She couldn't help but let out a small laugh, "Thanks, Sparky."

She walked to the door and held out her palm, glowing like before and stepped through the opening door. It slammed shut behind her with a heavy metallic clang. It was as it had been before, the deep spiral in the center and that eerie green marble crypt to the side, still sitting half ajar as she had left it and across from her the doors leading to the Other Dorothy. She entered through those doors again into the same strange, yet familiar world.

"You've come back so soon?" The young girls' voice said behind her.

DG whirled in place to face her again, yet when she saw the owner of the voice; it was not the same as the time before. Standing before her was now an older woman, lines beginning to form around her mouth and eyes. The eyes were still just a little sad, as the last time.

"Yes," DG said not knowing if what she was saying was an answer or a question. "I guess I'm not finished. The witch is not all gone, again and now she's sucking the life out of my sister and I think she's responsible for Cain disappearing."

"That mean's that Elphaba has sent you here, am I correct?"

"Yeah, I found her staff thing and she told me I had to find something you had and something else that someone else had, but she couldn't say. She said she didn't know."

"Ah, yes. What you came for from me I'll give you freely," Dorothy held out her hands, which were now holding the slippers DG had seen previously. "They're magic, but ancient magic and I don't know how well they will work anymore. I could only use them once myself, so if I were you child I would save them until you most need them. They could get you out of a tight spot." DG looked down at the shoes incredulously, however she was not hold the same pair of shoes, and they were now an exact copy of the riding boots she currently wore, except a dark, ruby red.

"What just happened?"

"Slippers are not the best footwear for daring escapes my dear, they often will change into what you need them to be, but don't worry they are the same." Dorothy smiled a fond smile at her and the shoes.

"What about the other person? Elphaba said she didn't know who had been chosen to have the third item."

"She is right, for our safety and hers we couldn't let her know about the third person. When Glinda and I were able to break Elphaba from the Witch's hold Elphaba had little recollection of most of her life, just a memory of larger details, and the farther back her memories went the more she remembered. It did not take us long to realize she did not know of something very important.

Let me start a little further back my dear, since I will most likely be the only one able to tell you this much. If the witch has gotten this far she has realized how we broke Elphaba from her and is using that against us. In order to break Elphaba free we had to use the magic of three items; something that was tied ancient magic, something that was tied to the O.Z. and something that was tied to her. The staff as you can imagine is an ancient magic and of course you are now in possession of the slippers, magic of the Gales though ancient itself, they will help you to harness our magic. But the witch has discovered this. I believe she must have something of ancient and powerful skill, most likely the grimoire and is using your sister as her tie to the Gale magic, it is not as strong as what you have, but it will do. In order to counteract that one part of the three is weak, she must be going straight for the true source of the third. So at the moment you are each quite equal in that you have the same pieces of the puzzle, so you both need a part of Elphaba."

"But," DG interrupted. "I have a part of her, I have Sparky, here."

"Patience, child, you really must learn patience."

"Sorry."

"Remember, I told you that the staff is the link to ancient magic, not the link we made to Elphaba. Now to finish part of the story." Dorothy stopped, eying DG with a look she had seen on her own mother. "Elphaba really only remembered up to a certain day of her old life, and it was truly sad day. She had a lover, a bright young man and a Prince in his own right and the last day she remembered was the day he died."

"So this thing I'm trying to find is a part of him!"

Dorothy glared again.

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

"It is a part of him, you are right on that part, but it was also a part of Elphaba. For Elphaba never remembered that after his death during her spiral into darkness she bore him a son. We hid this boy from her the best we could, for we couldn't be sure what she would to do him if she ever discovered the truth about him. Liir was a sweet boy and we were honest with him as he grew up and when the time came he was there to help us save his mother, whom he loved as if he had truly known her. I do not think Glinda and I could have succeeded were it not without the boy's help, though he was not magic at all."

Dorothy paused in her story, clearly expecting another interruption; however DG was deep in thought and only began speaking again after a good, long think.

"So…" DG fumbled over her grasp of the situation. "So Elphaba had this secret kid, with a guy who's death made her go kind of crazy in the first place and he's the one who has the last item that I need. So where is he buried? Or can it just be really simple and is this ancient artifact just in some O.Z. museum so I don't have to go all Dr. Jones across the country?"

Dorothy, like everyone when she made her pop culture references, just looked confused for a moment, but shrugged it off.

"It's not a matter of finding an item, I'm afraid. For Liir didn't not put his part of the magic into something; remember he was not magic himself. He couldn't be a conduit for the spell, only its vessel."

DG sounding repulsed asked, "So that means I've got to go grave rob for some dead guys bones?"

"No, my dear, you've got to find what remains of Liir in this world. You have to find his descendent, but I'm afraid the witch has already done this."

DG's heart sank into her stomach as she whispered, "Cain?"

Dorothy nodded solemnly. "The witch now has all the parts she needs; she has a bit of everything that took Elphaba and her magic away from her."

"What will she do to Cain?"

Dorothy only shook her head soberly and DG understood.

"Thank you," DG said softly, "Grandmother, I will try to make you proud."

"Remember DG, when I first came to the O.Z. and helped Glinda and Liir to defeat the Witch in my time, I was also a displaced Othersider. Do not let that hinder you, you will find the strength and the power to do what is necessary. Remember what the strongest magic is."

With this the world around Dorothy began to shimmer and fade and DG found herself outside in the woods again when her knees finally gave way and she sank to the ground and cried.

DG walked back into the camp a while later, her eyes still red around the edges and her lips drawn into a tight and serious line. She knew what they had to do now, they had a plan. She caught Ardin's eye and tried not to notice the worried and pained expression that crossed over Raw's face as she walked by.

She opened her mouth to speak.

"Hey, Princess!" Glitch interrupted in his usual jovial manner. "Nice shoes! Have you been shopping?"


End file.
